Ebenezer Knowlton
Encyclopedia
Ebenezer Knowlton was a U.S. Representative
from Maine
, Free Will Baptist minister, and co-founder of Bates College
in Lewiston, Maine
.
Born in Pittsfield, New Hampshire
, Knowlton moved with his parents to South Montville, Maine, in 1825. He attended the China and Waterville Academies in Maine. He studied theology and entered the ministry as a Free Will Baptist.
He served as member of the Maine House of Representatives
from 1844 to 1850 and served as speaker in 1846. Knowlton was elected as an Opposition Party
(a party transitioning between the Whigs and Republicans) candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1855-March 3, 1857). He became an early member of the Republican Party
and was a lifelong supporter of abolitionism
and the temperance movement
.
Knowlton was a founder and longtime trustee of Bates College
in Lewiston, Maine and worked closely with Bates President Oren B. Cheney
, serving as president of the board of overseers. Knowlton also served as a trustee of Colby College and Maine Central Institute
, and after the Civil War he worked for the Freedman's Bureau in Beaufort, South Carolina
. He was also a corporator of the "Morning Star," a Free Will Baptist newspaper, and was president of the Foreign Missions Board. Knowlton continued his ministerial duties until his death. He died in South Montville, Maine, September 10, 1874 and was interred in the City Cemetery.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, Free Will Baptist minister, and co-founder of Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
in Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
.
Born in Pittsfield, New Hampshire
Pittsfield, New Hampshire
Pittsfield is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 4,106 at the 2010 census.The central village in town, where 1,576 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Pittsfield census-designated place , and is located on the Suncook River near the junction of New...
, Knowlton moved with his parents to South Montville, Maine, in 1825. He attended the China and Waterville Academies in Maine. He studied theology and entered the ministry as a Free Will Baptist.
He served as member of the Maine House of Representatives
Maine House of Representatives
The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state. Each voting member of the House represents around 8,450 citizens of the state...
from 1844 to 1850 and served as speaker in 1846. Knowlton was elected as an Opposition Party
Opposition Party (United States)
The Opposition Party in the United States is a label with two different applications in Congressional history, as a majority party in Congress 1854-58, and as a Third Party in the South 1858-1860....
(a party transitioning between the Whigs and Republicans) candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1855-March 3, 1857). He became an early member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and was a lifelong supporter of abolitionism
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
and the temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
.
Knowlton was a founder and longtime trustee of Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
in Lewiston, Maine and worked closely with Bates President Oren B. Cheney
Oren B. Cheney
Oren Burbank Cheney was the founder of Bates College, an abolitionist, and a Free Will Baptist clergyman.-Early life:...
, serving as president of the board of overseers. Knowlton also served as a trustee of Colby College and Maine Central Institute
Maine Central Institute
The Maine Central Institute , is an independent high school, founded in 1866, located in Pittsfield, Maine, in the United States. The school enrolls approximately 500 students. MCI is a nonsectarian institution. The school has both boarding students and day students.-History:The Maine Central...
, and after the Civil War he worked for the Freedman's Bureau in Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
. He was also a corporator of the "Morning Star," a Free Will Baptist newspaper, and was president of the Foreign Missions Board. Knowlton continued his ministerial duties until his death. He died in South Montville, Maine, September 10, 1874 and was interred in the City Cemetery.