Nathan Cutler (May 29, 1775 – June 8, 1861) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

in Massachusetts and

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

. He was a Democrat.''American Biography'' p 190 (1919) The American Historical Society, New York Cutler graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

in 1798, and was preceptor at Middlebury Academy for one year thereafter. He then studied law with Judge Chipman of Vermont and later in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...

where he was admitted to the bar in 1801. For a time he practised in his native town before moving to

Farmington, Maine Farmington is a New England town, town in and the county seat of Franklin County, Maine, Franklin County, Maine, United States. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, its population was 7,592. Farmington is home to the University of Ma ...

in 1803 where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1812, he was appointed Judge of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

but declined to accept the office. He was several times a member of the

Legislature of Massachusetts The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

before the separation of the

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 Massach ...

. He was a delegate to the Maine Constitutional Convention in 1819 that framed the

Constitution of the State of Maine The Constitution of the State of Maine established the " State of Maine" in 1820 and is the fundamental governing document of the state. It consists of a Preamble and ten Articles (divisions), the first of which is a "Declaration of Rights". ...

, and subsequently became active in public life and politics in Maine. He was many times a member of the Legislature of Maine. In 1828, he was elected to the

Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constituti ...

, and served as

Senate president President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

. When Governor

Enoch Lincoln Enoch Lincoln (December 28, 1788 – October 8, 1829) was an American politician, serving as U.S. Representative from, successively, Massachusetts and from Maine. He was the son of Levi Lincoln Sr. and his wife, and the younger brother of Levi L ...

died on October 8, 1829, Cutler was sworn in as the seventh

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, serving until the expiration of his Senate term on January 6, 1830. Cutler was a presidential elector in 1832, and served 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 ...

in 1844. He was one of the incorporators of

Farmington Academy Farmington Academy was a secondary school for boys which opened in 1812 in Farmington, Maine. Plagued by financial problems, the property became part of the State Normal School system in the 1860s. Merrill Hall is located on the site of what was th ...

and during his lifetime president of the board of trustees. He was deeply interested in classical studies, of which he was a lifelong student. He married Hannah Moore of

Warren, Massachusetts Warren is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,975 at the 2020 census. The town contains the villages of Warren and West Warren. History Warren was first settled in 1664 and was officially incorpora ...

on September 10, 1804. They had nine children of whom seven survived to adulthood. Hannah died in 1835. He married Harriet Weld née Easterbrooks of

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, 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 ...

in 1856.

References

External links

National Governors Association profile
* 1775 births 1861 deaths Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Presidents of the Maine Senate Democratic Party Maine state senators Democratic Party governors of Maine Dartmouth College alumni People from Farmington, Maine 19th-century American lawyers {{Maine-politician-stub