Moses Macdonald
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moses Macdonald (April 8, 1815 – October 18, 1869) was an American attorney and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Maine. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, the Maine State Senate and as Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives during the 1800s.
Moses Macdonald | |
|---|---|
| Member of U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1855 | |
| Preceded by | Elbridge Gerry |
| Succeeded by | John M. Wood |
| Maine State Treasurer | |
| In office 1847–1850 | |
| Member of the Maine State Senate | |
| In office 1847–1848 | |
| Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives | |
| In office 1845–1846 | |
| Member of the Maine House of Representatives | |
| In office 1841–1843 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 8, 1815 Limerick, Massachusetts (now Maine) |
| Died | October 18, 1869 (aged 54) |
| Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Saco, Maine |
| Party | Democratic |
Early life and career
Macdonald was born in Limerick, Massachusetts (now in Maine) and was the son of major General John Macdonald and Lydia Wiley Macdonald.[1] He received an academic education and attended Phillips Academy.[2] He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1837 and began the practice of law in Biddeford, Maine in 1837.[3]
Political career
He served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives in 1841, 1842, and 1845.[4] He was the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives in 1845 and served in the Maine Senate in 1847.[5] He was the Maine State Treasurer from 1847 to 1850.[6]
Macdonald was elected as a Democratic candidate to the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses, serving from March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1855.[7] He was chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims during the Thirty-second Congress.
After leaving Congress, he was appointed collector of customs at Portland, Maine by President James Buchanan in 1857 and served until 1861.[8] He died in Saco, Maine in 1869 at the age of 54 and was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery there.[9]
