Henri James Haskell (July 20, 1843 – March 11, 1921) was the first

Montana Attorney General The Montana Department of Justice is a state law enforcement agency of Montana. The Department is equivalent to the State Bureau of Investigation in other states. The Montana State attorney general, Attorney General, currently Republican Austin ...

from 1889 to 1897. Haskell was born in

Palmyra, Maine Palmyra is a town in Somerset County, Maine, Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,924 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Palmyra was incorporated in 1807. Geography According to the United States Census ...

, in 1843 to Aretas Haskell and Sophia Hathorn (Haskell). He attended

Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...

's Nichols Latin School/

Maine Central Institute Maine Central Institute (MCI) is an independent high school in Pittsfield, Maine, United States that was established in 1866. The school enrolls approximately 430 students and is a nonsectarian institution. The school has both boarding and d ...

. Haskell was a great-nephew of Seth Hathorn who donated Bates' first building. After serving in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

with the first Maine Cavalry (including at Gettysburg) and being wounded, Haskell returned to his father's farm in Maine, and then moved to

Marysville, California Marysville is a city and the county seat of Yuba County, California, located in the Gold Country region of Northern California. As of the 2010 United States census, the population was 12,072, reflecting a decrease of 196 from the 12,268 counte ...

where he

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1875. Eventually he moved back to

Pittsfield, Maine Pittsfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,908 at the 2020 census. Pittsfield is home to the Maine Central Institute, a semi-private boarding school, and the annual Central Maine Egg Festival. History ...

for a period and then to

Glendive, Montana Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States, and home to Dawson Community College. Glendive was established by the Northern Pacific Railway during the building of the railroad line. The town of Glendive is ...

where served as a

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

. He was elected as a member of Montana Territorial House of Representatives in 1888 and served as a delegate to Montana state constitutional convention in 1889. In 1889 Haskell was elected as the first Montana state attorney general and served until 1897 as a Republican. Haskell was an active

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. In the election he defeated Ella Knowles Haskell, whom he later married and then divorced. Henri Haskell died in 1921.

References

1843 births 1921 deaths Bates College alumni Montana lawyers Montana Republicans People from Palmyra, Maine Montana attorneys general Maine Central Institute alumni 19th-century American lawyers {{Montana-politician-stub