Governor Sebastian Streeter Marble

SEBASTIAN S. MARBLE, the forty-first governor of Maine, was born in Dixfield, Maine on March 1, 1817. His early education was attained in the common schools of his native state, and at the Waterville Academy. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1843, and eventually established a legal practice in Waldoboro, Maine. Marble entered public service in 1862, serving as the deputy collector of customs for his district, a post he held until 1863. He also served as the collector of customs from 1864 to 1867, was the marshal of Maine from 1870 to 1878, and was elected to three terms in the Maine State Senate in 1882, serving the last term as president. On December 15, 1887, Governor Joseph R. Bodwell passed away, and Marble, who was president of the senate at the time, assumed the duties of the governorship. During his tenure, the Mars Bill was opposed, Republican policies and programs were supported, and the 1888 presidential nomination of Benjamin Harrison was openly endorsed. After failing to win election to his own gubernatorial term, Marble left office on January 2, 1889. He later served on his local school board, as well as serving as chairman of the Waldoboro Board of Selectmen. Governor Sebastian S. Marble passed away on May 10, 1902.