Prentiss Mellen (October 11, 1764December 31, 1840) was a lawyer, politician, and jurist from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

and

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. Born in Massachusetts and educated at Harvard, Mellen served for two years as a United States Senator from Massachusetts, and was appointed Maine's first chief justice after it achieved statehood in 1820.

Early years

Prentiss Mellen was the eighth of nine children of Rev. John Mellen and Rebecca (Prentiss) Mellen, born in 1764 in the second parish of

Lancaster, Massachusetts Lancaster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. Incorporated in 1653, Lancaster is the oldest town in Worcester County. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 8,441. History In 1643 Lancaster was first ...

, now Sterling. Mellen's father was the local minister, and his mother the daughter of the first parish minister. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1784. He moved to Barnstable, where he worked as a tutor for the family of

James Otis Jr. James Otis Jr. (February 5, 1725 – May 23, 1783) was an American lawyer, political activist, colonial legislator, and early supporter of patriotic causes in Massachusetts at the beginning of the Revolutionary Era. Otis was a fervent opponent ...

, and studied law with

Shearjashub Bourne Shearjashub Bourne (June 14, 1746 – March 11, 1806) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Massachusetts who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and United States House of Representatives. Bourne was born in B ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1788, and established a practice in Sterling. This was unsuccessful, and he next opened a practice in Bridgewater. There he met Sally Hudson of Hartford, Connecticut, whom he married in 1795. The couple had six children, four of whom survived him. Still not meeting with financial success, he briefly joined his brother's law practice in

Dover, New Hampshire Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,741 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in the New Hampshire Seacoast region and the fifth largest municipality in the state. It is the county se ...

before finally settling in

Biddeford Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Poo ...

in the Massachusetts

District of Maine The District of Maine was the governmental designation for what is now the U.S. state of Maine from October 25, 1780 to March 15, 1820, when it was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state. The district was a part of the Commonwealth of Massachu ...

. He moved to Portland around 1806.

Senate and Chief Justice

Mellen served on the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Counc ...

1808–1809, 1817, and as a presidential elector in 1817. He was a trustee of Bowdoin College in

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area, Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin Intern ...

from 1817 to 1836. He was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, representing Massachusetts, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Eli P. Ashmun Eli Porter Ashmun (June 24, 1770May 10, 1819) was a Federalist United States Senator from Massachusetts from 1816 to 1818. Early years Eli Porter Ashmun was the eldest child of Justus and Kezia Ashmun. He was born in the vicinity of Fort Edward ...

, and served from June 5, 1818, to May 15, 1820, when he resigned. Maine had won admission to the Union as a separate state in 1820, and he was appointed the first chief justice of the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

. He served until his resignation in 1834, when age disqualified him. His last major act of public serve was as chairman of a commission to revise and codify the public statutes of Maine, work which was completed in 1840. In 1833, Mellen was the first President of a newly formed abolitionist society formed in Portland.

Samuel Fessenden Samuel Fessenden (July 16, 1784 – March 13, 1869) was an American attorney, abolitionist, and politician. He served in both houses of the Massachusetts state legislature before Maine became a separate state. He was elected as major general i ...

and Methodist Rev. Gershom A. Cox were the vice-presidents.The Abolitionist, Volume 1
Page 95 Mellen died in Portland on December 31, 1840, and was buried in its Western Cemetery.

Notes

References

*Dictionary of American Biography; Greenleaf, Simon. "Memoir of the Life and Character of the Late Chief Justice Mellen." Maine Reports 17 (1841): 467–76.
Obituary in ''The American Quarterly''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mellen, Prentiss Politicians from Portland, Maine People from Sterling, Massachusetts United States senators from Massachusetts Massachusetts Federalists Harvard College alumni 1764 births 1840 deaths Massachusetts lawyers Chief Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court Politicians from Biddeford, Maine People from Dover, New Hampshire Federalist Party United States senators American abolitionists Burials at Western Cemetery (Portland, Maine) Activists from New Hampshire 19th-century American lawyers