Representative Israel Washburn

Israel Washburn Sr. (November 18, 1784 – September 1, 1876) was a Massachusetts politician who later became a prominent citizen of Maine and the patriarch of a notable American political family. Born in Raynham, Bristol County, Massachusetts, he was the son of Israel Washburn and Abiah King. The Washburn family traced its American origins to an ancestor who emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1631, and Israel grew up within this longstanding New England lineage. His brother was Reuel Washburn, who also became active in public life.

Washburn received his early upbringing in Massachusetts before seeking opportunities farther north. In 1806 he moved to the District of Maine, then still part of Massachusetts, and initially worked as a schoolteacher for several years. He later entered the shipbuilding industry at White’s Landing on the Kennebec River, gaining experience in the maritime and commercial life that was central to the region’s economy. In 1809, at the age of twenty-five, he purchased a homestead with adjoining farmland at The Norlands in Livermore, Maine. There he settled permanently, dividing his efforts between agriculture and commerce, and he also opened a general store that served the surrounding rural community.

On March 26, 1812, Washburn married Martha “Patty” Benjamin (1792–1861), the daughter of Lieutenant Samuel Benjamin, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. The couple had eleven children, ten of whom survived to adulthood, including seven sons who would go on to achieve distinction in business, law, diplomacy, and politics. Among them were Israel Washburn Jr., who served in the United States House of Representatives and as governor of Maine; Elihu B. Washburne, a U.S. representative from Illinois and later U.S. minister to France; Cadwallader C. Washburn, a U.S. representative and governor of Wisconsin; and William D. Washburn, a U.S. representative and senator from Minnesota. Another son, Charles Ames Washburn, became known as a presidential elector and diplomat. Through these children, Israel Washburn Sr. became the progenitor of one of the most influential political families of the nineteenth century.

Washburn’s own political career developed in the context of Massachusetts governance over the District of Maine. As a member of the Republican Party representing Maine, Israel Washburn contributed to the legislative process during five terms in office. He was elected twice to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, serving in 1815–1816 and again in 1818–1819, at a time when Maine was still legally part of Massachusetts and its local affairs were closely tied to those of the parent state. During these years he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in the legislature, while also remaining very active in local politics in and around Livermore. He continued this local political engagement until 1829, helping shape community affairs during a formative period that included Maine’s transition to statehood in 1820.

Alongside his public service, Washburn pursued a livelihood in farming and trade. His general store at The Norlands was an important commercial outlet for the area, but in 1829 the store failed, forcing him to abandon mercantile pursuits and return full-time to farming. Despite this setback, he maintained his standing as a respected local figure and continued to oversee his homestead and agricultural operations. His later years were marked by both personal and physical challenges. In 1859, at the age of seventy-five, he became blind, and in 1861 he was widowed by the death of his wife Martha after nearly half a century of marriage.

Washburn lived to witness the rise of his sons to national prominence during the turbulent decades surrounding the Civil War, a period in which the family name became widely associated with Republican politics and public service. He remained at The Norlands in Livermore during his final years, surrounded by the extended family and community that had grown up around the homestead he had established in the early nineteenth century. Israel Washburn Sr. died on September 1, 1876, at the age of ninety-one. He was interred in Waters Hill Cemetery in Livermore, Maine, where he was buried alongside his wife, leaving a legacy rooted in early New England settlement, local leadership, and a remarkable line of descendants who played significant roles in American political life.