Representative Stephen Decatur Lindsey

Stephen Decatur Lindsey (March 3, 1828 – April 26, 1884) was an American attorney and Republican politician from Maine who served in both houses of the state legislature and represented his state in the United States House of Representatives from 1877 to 1883. He was born in Norridgewock, Somerset County, Maine, on March 3, 1828, the son of schoolteacher Melzar Lindsey and Melinda (Cannon) Lindsey. Raised in a rural New England community, he attended the local schools of Norridgewock and then Bloomfield Academy, where his instructors included Stephen Coburn, a prominent local educator and future congressman with whom Lindsey developed a lifelong friendship.

After completing his studies at Bloomfield Academy, Lindsey read law in Norridgewock under attorney John S. Abbott, who later became Attorney General of Maine. He was admitted to the bar in 1853. Upon his admission, Lindsey purchased Abbott’s law office and established his own practice in Norridgewock, building a reputation as a capable lawyer. In addition to his legal work, he became active in local business enterprises, serving as president of the Madison Woolen Mill and as a member of the board of directors of the Somerset Railroad, roles that reflected his engagement with the region’s industrial and transportation development.

Lindsey entered public life as a member of the Republican Party, which was then emerging as the dominant political force in Maine. He was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1856, marking the beginning of a long career in public service. From 1857 to 1860 he served as clerk of the judicial courts of Somerset County, gaining administrative experience in the state’s legal system. His growing prominence within the party led to his selection as a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention, held in Chicago, where the party nominated Abraham Lincoln for the presidency.

Following the Civil War, Lindsey continued to advance in state politics. He served in the Maine Senate from 1868 to 1870 and was chosen president pro tempore of the Senate in 1869, a position that placed him among the leading Republican legislators in the state. He was again a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1868 and later served on the Executive Council of Maine in 1874, advising the governor and participating in the oversight of state affairs. Through these offices he became well known as a steady party man and an experienced legislator.

In 1876, Lindsey was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives, representing Maine during a significant period in American history marked by the end of Reconstruction and the nation’s adjustment to post–Civil War realities. He was reelected in 1878 and served three consecutive terms from March 4, 1877, to March 3, 1883. During his tenure in Congress, he contributed to the legislative process and represented the interests of his Maine constituents. He served on several committees, including the Joint Committee on the Library, the Select Committee on the Payment of Pensions, Bounty, and Back Pay, and the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State, where he participated in oversight of federal spending and in matters affecting veterans’ benefits and the administration of the Department of State.

Lindsey’s congressional service also extended to the administration of military academy appointments, a significant avenue of federal patronage and public service in the nineteenth century. In 1877, he administered a competitive examination for a Congressional appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. The highest score was achieved by Charles L. Phillips of Waterville, whom Lindsey subsequently appointed as cadet. Phillips graduated from West Point in 1881, served in the United States Army until 1920, and attained the rank of brigadier general, illustrating the long-term impact of Lindsey’s decisions in office. After choosing not to be a candidate for renomination in 1882, Lindsey concluded his service in the House at the end of the Forty-seventh Congress and returned to Norridgewock, where he resumed the practice of law.

In his personal life, Lindsey was married twice, both times to women from his hometown of Norridgewock. His first wife was Sarah Townsend, with whom he had five children—three daughters and two sons—before her death in 1867. He later married Mary Clark, also of Norridgewock, and they were the parents of one daughter. Lindsey remained a respected figure in his community until his death in Norridgewock on April 26, 1884. He was interred at River View Cemetery in Norridgewock, leaving behind a record of service that spanned local business, state government, and the national legislature.