Mark Alton Barwise
Encyclopedia
Mark Alton Barwise was the only publicly practicing member of the Spiritualist religion known to have been elected to a state office in the United States. Born in Chester, Maine
of a medianistic mother, Barwise became an attorney and nationally-prominent member of the National Spiritualist Association
(N.S.A.). He wrote extensively on spiritualism, represented the church in court cases, served on its board of trustees, and became Curator of its Bureau of Phenomenal Evidence. Despite his leadership position in a religion outside the American mainstream, he was elected to the Maine House of Representatives
from Bangor
(Penobscot County) in 1921-24, and in 1925-26 to the Maine State Senate.
Barwise's political career was defined by his championing of a controversial amendment to the state constitution prohibiting the use of any public funds by private institutions. "The Barwise Bill" was widely interpreted as an attack on Maine's growing Catholic school system by the Protestant majority, and was called a "Klan measure" by one newspaper. Although Barwise's ties to the Ku Klux Klan
(if any) are unknown, Maine saw significant Klan activity
in the 1920s, directed against the local Catholic population, which the controversy surrounding the Barwise Bill only helped inflame. Though the bill was defeated in the Maine House in 1923 after heated debate, Barwise re-introduced a modified version of it again in 1925 when he entered the Senate, where it was defeated a second time. He may have been considered an effective sponsor and spokesman for an anti-Catholic measure precisely because he was not a mainstream Protestant. The year Barwise left state office (1925) his Senate colleague Owen Brewster
, who had introduced a similar bill on the same issue, was elected Governor of Maine
with Klan support.
Despite its sectarian effects, the Barwise Bill may have originated more from Barwise's personal convictions (as a member of a non-mainstream religion) that church and state be fully separated. He'd begun his political career, in 1921, by introducing a bill to repeal an old yet widely-violated law requiring businesses to close on Sunday. This was as unpopular with the Protestant majority as with Catholics, and was defeated in the Maine House by a wide margin (107 to 15).
Barwise published numerous essays and short articles on spiritualism, including the 64-page booklet "A Preface to Spiritualism" (1938), and the chapter on spiritualism in Charles Samuel Braden's Varieties of American Religion (1936). With Rev. Thomas Grimshaw, Superintendent of Education of the N.S.A., he organized a correspondence course on spiritualism in the 1930s. He was also associated with "Camp Etna", a prominent spiritualist summer camp outside of Bangor in Etna, Maine
, whose charismatic leader was the medium Mary Vanderbilt. Barwise contributed an essay to Vanderbilt's 1921 festschrift, Mary S. Vanderbilt: A Twentieth Century Seer (1921).
Chester, Maine
Chester is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 525 at the 2000 census.It is part of the Bangor, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
of a medianistic mother, Barwise became an attorney and nationally-prominent member of the National Spiritualist Association
National Spiritualist Association of Churches
The National Spiritualist Association of Churches is one of the oldest and largest of the Spiritualist churches in the United States. It was formed in 1893 in Chicago, Illinois. Among its leaders were Harrison D. Barrett and James M. Peebles, both former Unitarian clergymen, and Cora L. Richmond,...
(N.S.A.). He wrote extensively on spiritualism, represented the church in court cases, served on its board of trustees, and became Curator of its Bureau of Phenomenal Evidence. Despite his leadership position in a religion outside the American mainstream, he was elected to 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 Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
(Penobscot County) in 1921-24, and in 1925-26 to the Maine State Senate.
Barwise's political career was defined by his championing of a controversial amendment to the state constitution prohibiting the use of any public funds by private institutions. "The Barwise Bill" was widely interpreted as an attack on Maine's growing Catholic school system by the Protestant majority, and was called a "Klan measure" by one newspaper. Although Barwise's ties to the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
(if any) are unknown, Maine saw significant Klan activity
Ku Klux Klan in Maine
Although the Ku Klux Klan is popularly associated with white supremacy, the revived Klan of the 1920s was also anti-Catholic. In the State of Maine, with a negligible African-American population but a burgeoning number of French-Canadian and Irish immigrants, the Klan revival of the 1920s was...
in the 1920s, directed against the local Catholic population, which the controversy surrounding the Barwise Bill only helped inflame. Though the bill was defeated in the Maine House in 1923 after heated debate, Barwise re-introduced a modified version of it again in 1925 when he entered the Senate, where it was defeated a second time. He may have been considered an effective sponsor and spokesman for an anti-Catholic measure precisely because he was not a mainstream Protestant. The year Barwise left state office (1925) his Senate colleague Owen Brewster
Owen Brewster
Ralph Owen Brewster was an American politician from Maine. Brewster, a Republican, was solidly conservative...
, who had introduced a similar bill on the same issue, was elected Governor of Maine
Governor of Maine
The governor of Maine is the chief executive of the State of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive....
with Klan support.
Despite its sectarian effects, the Barwise Bill may have originated more from Barwise's personal convictions (as a member of a non-mainstream religion) that church and state be fully separated. He'd begun his political career, in 1921, by introducing a bill to repeal an old yet widely-violated law requiring businesses to close on Sunday. This was as unpopular with the Protestant majority as with Catholics, and was defeated in the Maine House by a wide margin (107 to 15).
Barwise published numerous essays and short articles on spiritualism, including the 64-page booklet "A Preface to Spiritualism" (1938), and the chapter on spiritualism in Charles Samuel Braden's Varieties of American Religion (1936). With Rev. Thomas Grimshaw, Superintendent of Education of the N.S.A., he organized a correspondence course on spiritualism in the 1930s. He was also associated with "Camp Etna", a prominent spiritualist summer camp outside of Bangor in Etna, Maine
Etna, Maine
Etna is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,012 at the 2000 census.-History:Etna is named for the famed Mt. Etna in Italy. It was originally known as "Crosbytown" after its first proprietor, Gen. John Crosby of Hampden, Maine. It was incorporated as a town in 1820...
, whose charismatic leader was the medium Mary Vanderbilt. Barwise contributed an essay to Vanderbilt's 1921 festschrift, Mary S. Vanderbilt: A Twentieth Century Seer (1921).