Governor John Albion Andrew

JOHN A. ANDREW, the twenty-sixth governor of Massachusetts, was born in Windham, Maine on May 31, 1818. His education was attained at the Gorham Academy, and later at Bowdoin College, where he graduated in 1837. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1840, and then established a successful legal practice in Boston. Andrew entered politics in 1858, serving as a one-term member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He next won election to the Massachusetts governorship on November 6, 1860, earning the largest vote majority in the state’s history up to that time. He went on to win reelection in 1861, 1862, 1863, and 1864. During his tenure, the state prepared to aid the Union in the looming Civil War. Volunteers were raised, as well as arms and provisions. Also, Andrew called for an all black troop to be raised, which was organized as the 54 th Regiment, becoming the first unit of its kind. After declining to run for reelection, Andrew left office on January 4, 1866, and retired from political life. He returned to his legal career, where he worked to reform divorce practices. Governor John A. Andrew passed away on October 30, 1867, and was buried in the Hingham Cemetery in Massachusetts.