Alonzo Garcelon

Alonzo Garcelon
36th Governor of Maine
In office January 8, 1879 – January 7, 1880
Preceded by	Seldon Connor
Succeeded by	Daniel F. Davis
Mayor of Lewiston, Maine
In office 1871
Preceded by	William H. Stevens
Succeeded by	David Cowan
Member of the Maine Senate
In office 1855–1856
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
In office 1853–1854 1857–1858
Personal details
Born	(1813-05-06)May 6, 1813 Lewiston, Massachusetts (now Maine), U.S.
Died	December 8, 1906(1906-12-08) (aged 93) Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place	Riverside Cemetery Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Other political affiliations	Whig, Free Soiler, Republican
Alma mater	Bowdoin College Medical University of Ohio
Profession	Physician
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Branch/service	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1861–1865
Rank	Surgeon General
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Alonzo Garcelon (May 6, 1813 – December 8, 1906) was the 36th governor of Maine, and a surgeon general of Maine during the American Civil War.

Early life and education

Garcelon was born in Lewiston (in modern-day Maine, then a part of Massachusetts), to French Huguenot parents. Garcelon attended Monmouth Academy, Waterville Academy, and New Castle Academy. Garcelon taught school during the winter terms to help pay for his tuition. In 1836 Garcelon graduated from Bowdoin College, and in 1839 he graduated from the Medical College of Ohio in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then returned to Lewiston to practice. Garcelon co-founded the Lewiston Journal in 1847. He served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1853 to 1854, 1857 to 1858, and in the Maine Senate from 1855 to 1856. Garcelon donated to Bates College to Lewiston in 1855 and served as an instructor and trustee at the College. His son, Alonzo Marston Garcelon, graduated from Bates in 1872 and went on to serve as Mayor of Lewiston from 1883 to 1884. He was elected as a Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1856. Garcelon's medical partner, Dr. Edward H. Hill, founded Central Maine Medical Center.

Civil War

During the Civil War, Garcelon served in the Union Army as a Maine surgeon general. During the impeachment of Andrew Johnson after the War, Garcelon became disgusted with the Republican Party and their policy of "Radical Reconstruction" and became a Democrat. In 1871 he was elected mayor of Lewiston, and in 1879 he was elected Governor of Maine by the legislature, serving one term until 1880.

During his term as governor, Garcelon oversaw the "Greenback" controversy, when he investigated alleged voter fraud and determined that the Democrats and not the Republicans had won a majority in the legislature. Senator James Blaine came to Augusta with a hundred armed men to protest the results, and Garcelon called out the state militia. Civil war was narrowly averted, thanks to the peaceful intervention of militia leader Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. In 1883 Garcelon's son was elected mayor of Lewiston.

Garcelon died in Medford, Massachusetts, and was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Lewiston, Maine.

Legacy and honors

Garcelon Field at Bates College is named in his honor, as is the Alonzo Garcelon Society, which provides scholarships to Bates for local students. In 2008, the Garcelon family announced the donation of a large collection of Garcelon family manuscripts to the Bates College Special Collections Library.

See also

• List of Bates College people
• List of governors of Maine
• List of mayors of Lewiston, Maine

References

• "Bio of Alonzo A. Gercelon, M.D." Representative Men of Maine: A Collection of Biographical Sketches,(Portland, ME: The Lakeside Press, 1893). (link)

External links

• Greenback Controversy
• Garcelon bio
• Alonzo Garcelon Society