Representative Nehemiah Abbott

Nehemiah Abbott (March 29, 1804 – July 26, 1877) was an American attorney and politician from Maine who was active in state and national politics in the mid-nineteenth century. He was born in Sidney, in Kennebec County, Maine, where he spent his early years before moving into the legal profession. Little is recorded about his parents or early family life, but his upbringing in rural Maine placed him within a region that was rapidly developing politically and economically in the decades following American independence.

Abbott pursued a legal education in the traditional manner of the time by reading law rather than attending a formal law school. After completing his legal studies, he was admitted to the bar and commenced practice as an attorney. He eventually settled in Belfast, in Waldo County, Maine, which became the principal base of his professional and political career. As a practicing lawyer, he established himself in the community and built the local reputation that would support his entry into public office.

Originally a member of the Democratic Party, Abbott became active in Maine politics in the 1840s. He was elected to the Maine House of Representatives, serving multiple terms from 1842 to 1844 and again from 1845 to 1846. During these years he participated in state legislative affairs at a time when Maine was grappling with issues of economic development, transportation, and the emerging national debate over slavery and sectionalism. His service in the state legislature helped to solidify his standing as a capable legislator and public figure.

By the mid-1850s, as the national political system realigned over the expansion of slavery, Abbott left the Democratic Party and joined the newly formed Republican Party. Reflecting this shift, he was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth Congress, representing Maine in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1857, to March 3, 1859. As a member of the Republican Party representing Maine, Nehemiah Abbott contributed to the legislative process during one term in office. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, as tensions between North and South intensified in the years leading up to the Civil War. In this capacity he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in Maine on national issues.

After his single term in Congress, Abbott returned to Maine and resumed his legal practice in Belfast. He remained engaged in public life and local affairs, and during the Civil War era he aligned with the Unionist cause consistent with his Republican affiliation. His prominence in the community led to his election as mayor of Belfast, a position he held from 1865 to 1866, in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. As mayor, he oversaw municipal governance during the early Reconstruction period, when local governments were adjusting to the war’s social and economic consequences.

In his later years, Abbott continued to reside in Belfast, where he maintained his legal work and civic involvement until declining health and age curtailed his activities. He died in Belfast, Maine, on July 26, 1877. His career, spanning service in the Maine House of Representatives, the United States House of Representatives, and the mayoralty of Belfast, reflected the trajectory of a nineteenth-century New England lawyer-politician who adapted to the major party realignments of his time and participated in public life at both the state and national levels.