Bert Manfred Fernald (April 3, 1858August 23, 1926) was an American farmer, businessman, and Republican politician who became the 47th

governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is J ...

and a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

. He was chairman of the

United States Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds The U.S. Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds was a committee of the United States Senate from 1883 until 1946. It was preceded by the United States Congress Joint Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds and succeeded by the United S ...

for three terms.

Early life, education, and career

Born in West Poland, Maine, Fernald suffered debilitating injuries from an early age, enduring several operations and not beginning to walk until he was six years old."Senator Fernald of Maine Dead", ''The Boston Globe'' (August 24, 1926), p. 1, 7. He attended the public schools, and then

Hebron Academy Hebron Academy, founded in 1804, is a small, independent, college preparatory boarding and day school for boys and girls in grades six through postgraduate in Hebron, Maine. Tuition Tuition for the 2023–2024 academic year is $64,000 for Int ...

until the age of seventeen, when his father died. He then entered a business and preparatory school in

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, after which he taught school (and was elected supervisor of schools in 1878), and then engaged in the canning, dairy, and telephone businesses. He returned to his family farm, where he "established one of the best Holstein herds in the State", and a corn canning operation. He was elected to the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via ...

and served from 1896 to 1898 where he "attracted attention by several able speeches",Arthur G. Staples, "Bert M. Fernald, Governor-Elect of Maine", ''The New England Magazine'', Vol. 39. (October 1908), p. 162. and where his tenure was marked by his fine singing voice, and then from 1898 to 1902 in the

Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the st ...

Governorship

Fernald was a candidate for Governor of Maine in 1904,"Larceny of Thunder", ''The Bangor Daily News'' (July 22, 1908), p. 4. but was unsuccessful in his bid for the Republican nomination. However, he remained popular in the party, and ultimately secured the nomination in 1908 "without a dissenting vote". He was elected, and served as a Governor of Maine from 1909 until 1911. In 1910, he was also elected president of the

National Canners Association The Food Products Association (formerly the National Food Processors Association or NFPA) was the principal U.S. scientific and technical trade association representing the Food industry, food processing industry until 2007. FPA was headquartered ...

. In April 1909, Fernald vetoed a bill providing mandatory sentences in liquor cases, contending that it would deprive the courts of discretion.

Senate career

In 1916 he was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate by defeating Kenneth C.M. Sills, who was then Dean of

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Edwin C. Burleigh. In the Senate, Fernand took office on September 12, 1916 and was initially "a radical in his party", but eventually "became one of the staunchest of the Old Guard as he rose to an important position". In his first term, he opposed farm credit measures being debated in Congress, disputing claims that deflation in the aftermath of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

disproportionately affected farmers. Fernald was reelected in 1918, and in 1919, he "rose to the defense of the packers, then under criticism by the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...

", characterizing the regulation of that industry as "badgering, harrying and heckling American business interests". He supported President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

, but opposed U.S. entry into the

Permanent Court of International Justice The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, existed from 1922 to 1946. It was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1920 (although the idea of an international court was several cent ...

. He was reelected again in 1924 and served until his death on August 23, 1926.

Personal life, death, and legacy

Fernald married Annie Keene in 1877, with whom he had a daughter and a son. A large man, in 1909, Fernald was a speaker at the annual meeting, in Portland, of the "New England Fat Men's Association", all of whose members had to weigh at least 201 pounds.''Gettysburg Times'' (August 16, 1909), p. 2 Fernald died at his home in West Poland, Maine, following a ten-day illness, at the age of 68. The Fernald family farm is still in existence. Its white barn has the name Fernald Family Farm in black visible from the road.

References

External links