Frederick Neal Dow (February 23, 1840 – 1934) was an American political activist from

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. The son of Prohibitionist mayor and presidential candidate

Neal Dow Neal Dow (March 20, 1804 – October 2, 1897) was an American Prohibition advocate and politician. Nicknamed the "Napoleon of Temperance" and the "Father of Prohibition", Dow was born to a Quaker family in Portland, Maine. From a young age, he ...

, Fred Dow served in a number of political positions during his lifetime, including in 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 as Collector of the Port of Portland. During his time in the House, he served as Speaker from 1889-1890. He helped found the Portland Club, an influential Republican all-male social club in Portland's West End. He also owned and served as editor of one of Portland's largest newspapers, the Evening Express, from 1887-1925.

Early life

Frederick Dow was born to father

and Maria Cornelia Durant (Maynard) Dow in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

on December 23, 1840. His ancestors on his father side dated back to the early British colonists. His mother was of Huguenot descent. His siblings included Emma Maynard Dow,

Louisa Dow Benton Louisa Dwight Benton ( Dow; March 23, 1831 – December 7, 1895) was a 19th-century American linguist, translator, and letter writer. She became physically disabled from rheumatism, unable to walk, and lost almost the entire use of her hands. S ...

, and Cornelia Maria Dow. He attended Portland Academy, Portland High School, and the Friends' School in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. He left school at the age of 16 and entered the tanning business with his father. Dow volunteered to serve in the Maine militia at the outbreak of the Civil War, but was blocked by his politically powerful father from fighting. In October, 1864, he married Julia Dana.

Politics

In 1871, Dow began his political career with an appointment to the staff of Republican governor

Sidney Perham Sidney Perham (March 27, 1819 – April 10, 1907) was a U.S. Representative and the 33rd governor of Maine and was an activist in the temperance movement. Biography Born in Woodstock (in modern-day Maine, then a part of Massachusetts) to Jo ...

. From 1872-1874, he served as first a member and then chair of the

Executive Council of Maine The Executive Council of Maine was a government body established with the Maine Constitution in 1820 and dissolved in 1977 via a 1975 statewide referendum. It was made up of seven members, traditionally defeated members of the majority legislative ...

. For the 1874 election, he was unanimously nominated by the Cumberland, County Republicans for

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 ...

. However, he did not win a seat in that year's general election. Following the entire Republican ticket's defeat in 1875, Dow was elected to the

Maine Republican Party The Maine Republican Party is an affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Maine. It was founded in Strong, Maine, on August 7, 1854. The party currently does not control the governor's office or either chamber of the Maine Legislatur ...

's State Committee for Cumberland County. He was also appointed by governor

Nelson Dingley Jr. Nelson Dingley Jr. (February 15, 1832 – January 13, 1899) was a journalist and politician from the U.S. state of Maine. Dingley was born in Durham, Maine and attended the common schools at Unity, Maine and Waterville College (now Colby Col ...

as one of the Commissioners from Maine to the

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition, officially the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876. It was the first official wo ...

at Philadelphia. He served as a delegate at large to the Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1880 which nominated

James Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until Assassination of James A. Garfield, his death in September that year after being shot two months ea ...

and

Chester Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...

as its ticket. Prior to the 1882 general election, Dow was elected as the successor to U.S. Senator

James G. Blaine James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830January 27, 1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the United States House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as speaker of the U.S. House of Rep ...

as chair of the Maine Republican State Committee. Following that election, one in which Republican nominee

Frederick Robie Frederick Robie (August 12, 1822 – February 2, 1912) was an American physician and politician who most notably served as the 39th governor of Maine. Early life Robie was born in Gorham, Maine and studied at the Gorham Academy. He graduated f ...

took back the Governorship for his party, Dow's stature was raised within the party. As a result, Dow was appointed by now President Arthur to replace the recently deceased

Lot M. Morrill Lot Myrick Morrill (May 3, 1813 – January 10, 1883) was an American politician who served as the 28th governor of Maine, as a United States senator, and as U.S. secretary of the treasury under President Ulysses S. Grant. An advocate for hard ...

as Collector of the Port of Portland, a highly prestigious and lucrative position. Following the defeat of the Republicans nationally in 1884, new President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

appointed a Democrat to the Collector position in 1885. Dow then turned his attention to building the Republican Party nationally through the creation of permanent social clubs. These included the Portland Club, which was only the second such club in the country. He was also the first President of the Maine State League of Republican Clubs. In 1886, Dow was nominated by the Republicans for a seat in the

, which he easily won. He was re-elected two years later. In 1889, he was elected

Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives The Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives is the speaker and presiding officer of the Maine House of Representatives, the lower house of the Maine Legislature. List of speakers See also * List of Maine state legislatures {{Speaker ...

. Upon the election of Republican Benjamin Harrison to the presidency in 1888, Dow declined the post of Collector until his term as Speaker ended. Following the September 1890 general election, Dow was re-appointed to the Collector position by Harrison.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dow, Fred 1840 births 1934 deaths Politicians from Portland, Maine Portland High School (Maine) alumni Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Speakers of the Maine House of Representatives Collectors of the Port of Portland (Maine) Editors of Maine newspapers People of Maine in the American Civil War Moses Brown School alumni Neal Dow 19th-century members of the Maine Legislature