Neal S. Dow
Encyclopedia
Neal S. Dow nicknamed the "Napoleon of Temperance" and the "Father of Prohibition", was mayor
of Portland, Maine
. He sponsored the "Maine law
of 1851", which prohibited the manufacture and sale of liquor. Dow was widely criticized for his heavy handed tactics during the Portland Rum Riot
of 1855.
. He volunteered as a firefighter to gain exemption from militia duty because of the reputation of militia musters to be drunken bashes. He gained local notice when he persuaded his company to forgo the customary liquor at their annual celebration. In 1827 he was a founding member of the Maine Temperance Society. Before 1837 he was a leader of the splitting off of the Maine Temperance Union over the issue of whether wine should still be allowed—the Union was for total abstinence.
. In April 1851, Dow was elected mayor of Portland and virtually single-handedly secured passage of prohibition in the state. He worked closely with the legislature to secure passage there. Then, despite the fact that many legislators expected the bill to be vetoed, Dow met with the new Governor, John Hubbard, who signed the bill into law on June 2. This quickly became known through the country as "the Maine Law," and propelled Dow to national fame. He was called the "Napoleon of Temperance", and was the featured speaker in August at a National Temperance Convention.
After losing reelection as Portland's mayor, Dow traveled the U.S. and Canada campaigning for prohibition laws. He ran again to be mayor in 1854 and lost, but in 1855 won reelection with a 47 vote margin, supported openly by the new Republican party and secretly by the Know Nothing
party.
. Dow was tried for violation of the prohibition law. The prosecutor was former U.S. Attorney General Nathan Clifford
and the defense attorney was a fellow founder of the Maine Temperance Society, William P. Fessenden
. Although Dow was acquitted, his image had suffered badly; he lost his subsequent bid to become Maine Governor. In 1856 the Maine Law was repealed.
of the 13th Maine Infantry on November 23, 1861, and his regiment participated in the capture of New Orleans under the command of Union Army
Major General
Benjamin Butler
. He was promoted to brigadier general
on April 28, 1862, and was assigned to command two Confederate
forts captured south of New Orleans, Jackson and St. Philip, followed by command of the District of Florida.
(May 21 – July 9, 1863) in Louisiana
. Dow commanded the 1st Brigade in the 2nd Division of the XIX Corps. During the Union assault on May 27 he was wounded in the right arm and left thigh and sent to a nearby plantation to convalesce where he was captured by Confederates in early July. He was imprisoned for eight months in Richmond
and Mobile
. He was released back to the Union Army in exchange for captive Confederate General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
(son of General Robert E. Lee
) on February 25, 1864. His health was degraded by his prison experience and he resigned from the Army in November 1864.
. He co-founded the National Temperance Society and Publishing House
with James Black
in 1865. The Society owned a publishing house that promoted teetotalism
.
Dow was the Prohibition Party
's candidate for President of the United States
in the election of 1880, running on a ticket with prohibitionist Henry Adams Thompson
, and the ticket came in fourth place, receiving 10,305 votes. The election was won by James A. Garfield of the Republican Party
and Dow was surpassed by two other unsuccessful candidates: Winfield Scott Hancock
of the Democratic Party
and James Baird Weaver of the Greenback Party
. He wrote Reminiscences (Portland, 1898).
Dow died in Portland and is buried there in Evergreen Cemetery
. Neal Dow Avenue in the Westerleigh section of New York City's borough of Staten Island and Neal Dow Elementary School in Chico, California
are named after him.
Built in 1829, Neal S. Dow House is a historic house in Portland, Maine
built for noted politician and prohibitionist Neal S. Dow.
| before=J. B. Cahoon
| after=Albion K. Parris
| years=1851
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. He sponsored the "Maine law
Maine law
The Maine law, passed in 1851 in Maine, was one of the first statutory implementations of the developing temperance movement in the United States.-History:Temperance activist Neal Dow helped craft this law...
of 1851", which prohibited the manufacture and sale of liquor. Dow was widely criticized for his heavy handed tactics during the Portland Rum Riot
Portland Rum Riot
The Portland Rum Riot, also called the Maine Law Riot, was a brief but violent period of civil unrest that occurred in Portland, Maine on June 2, 1855 in response to the Maine law which prohibited the sale and manufacture of alcohol in the state the year before.-History:The Maine law of 1851...
of 1855.
Early life and career
Dow was born in Portland, the son of Quaker parentsReligious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
. He volunteered as a firefighter to gain exemption from militia duty because of the reputation of militia musters to be drunken bashes. He gained local notice when he persuaded his company to forgo the customary liquor at their annual celebration. In 1827 he was a founding member of the Maine Temperance Society. Before 1837 he was a leader of the splitting off of the Maine Temperance Union over the issue of whether wine should still be allowed—the Union was for total abstinence.
Background
During the 19th century the average American consumed more than three times more alcohol than today. In his memoirs, Dow noted that in Portland (as elsewhere in the country) a significant portion of a working man's pay was in the form of daily rum rations. "It was the rule" Dow wrote, "to quit work at 11 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon to drink. . . . Many grocer's shops kept rum punch prepared in a tub, sometimes on the sidewalk, just as lemonade is to be seen now on the Fourth of July. The Neal S. Dow Museum estimates that there were approximately 300 establishments selling rum, gin, brandy or other alcoholic beverages along the roughly one mile stretch of Portland's major business district from lower Congress Street to Munjoy HIll during the first five decades of the 1800s.Mayor of Portland and "The Maine Law"
The first legislative attempt to impose prohibition in Maine was in 1837. A bill made it out of committee but was tabled. In 1849 the bill passed the Maine Legislature but was not signed by Governor John DanaJohn W. Dana
John W. Dana was the 19th and 21st Governor of Maine.- Early life :Dana was born in Fryeburg, Maine on June 21, 1808. He studied in local schools and at the Fryeburg Academy. He started his career as a businessman....
. In April 1851, Dow was elected mayor of Portland and virtually single-handedly secured passage of prohibition in the state. He worked closely with the legislature to secure passage there. Then, despite the fact that many legislators expected the bill to be vetoed, Dow met with the new Governor, John Hubbard, who signed the bill into law on June 2. This quickly became known through the country as "the Maine Law," and propelled Dow to national fame. He was called the "Napoleon of Temperance", and was the featured speaker in August at a National Temperance Convention.
After losing reelection as Portland's mayor, Dow traveled the U.S. and Canada campaigning for prohibition laws. He ran again to be mayor in 1854 and lost, but in 1855 won reelection with a 47 vote margin, supported openly by the new Republican party and secretly by the Know Nothing
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
party.
Portland Rum Riot
In 1855, rumors began to circulate that Dow was storing a large supply of alcohol at city hall. Although this was subsequently ruled to be intended for distribution to the city's medical community, a judge was compelled to investigate and to issue a search warrant. A suspicious crowd numbering perhaps 2000 assembled outside city hall on June 2, the anniversary of statewide prohibition, among them his enemies from the city's sizable Irish immigrant community, who generally opposed the ban on alcohol. A melee soon broke out and militia were called upon to restore order. When the mob refused to disperse, Dow ordered the militia to fire. One man was killed and seven were wounded. This incident has become known as the Portland Rum RiotPortland Rum Riot
The Portland Rum Riot, also called the Maine Law Riot, was a brief but violent period of civil unrest that occurred in Portland, Maine on June 2, 1855 in response to the Maine law which prohibited the sale and manufacture of alcohol in the state the year before.-History:The Maine law of 1851...
. Dow was tried for violation of the prohibition law. The prosecutor was former U.S. Attorney General Nathan Clifford
Nathan Clifford
Nathan Clifford was an American statesman, diplomat and jurist.Clifford was born of old Yankee stock in Rumney, New Hampshire, to farmers, the only son of seven children He attended the public schools of that town, then the Haverhill Academy in New...
and the defense attorney was a fellow founder of the Maine Temperance Society, William P. Fessenden
William P. Fessenden
William Pitt Fessenden was an American politician from the U.S. state of Maine.Fessenden was a Whig and member of the Fessenden political family...
. Although Dow was acquitted, his image had suffered badly; he lost his subsequent bid to become Maine Governor. In 1856 the Maine Law was repealed.
Early role
Dow was an ardent abolitionist and his home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Part of his support for prohibition was linked to the role of West Indian slavery in the rum trade. When the American Civil War broke out, Dow volunteered for service (at age 57). He was appointed ColonelColonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of the 13th Maine Infantry on November 23, 1861, and his regiment participated in the capture of New Orleans under the command of Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Benjamin Butler
Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician)
Benjamin Franklin Butler was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 33rd Governor of Massachusetts....
. He was promoted to brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
on April 28, 1862, and was assigned to command two Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
forts captured south of New Orleans, Jackson and St. Philip, followed by command of the District of Florida.
Port Hudson
Dow's Civil War service is best remembered for his role in the Siege of Port HudsonSiege of Port Hudson
The Siege of Port Hudson occurred from May 22 to July 9, 1863, when Union Army troops assaulted and then surrounded the Mississippi River town of Port Hudson, Louisiana, during the American Civil War....
(May 21 – July 9, 1863) in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Dow commanded the 1st Brigade in the 2nd Division of the XIX Corps. During the Union assault on May 27 he was wounded in the right arm and left thigh and sent to a nearby plantation to convalesce where he was captured by Confederates in early July. He was imprisoned for eight months in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. He was released back to the Union Army in exchange for captive Confederate General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee , known as Rooney Lee or W.H.F. Lee, was the second son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. He was a planter, a Confederate cavalry General in the American Civil War, and later a member of the U.S. Congress.-Early life:Lee was born at Arlington House in...
(son of General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
) on February 25, 1864. His health was degraded by his prison experience and he resigned from the Army in November 1864.
Postwar politics
Back in Portland, Dow soon became a leader in the temperance movementTemperance 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...
. He co-founded the National Temperance Society and Publishing House
National Temperance Society and Publishing House
The National Temperance Society and Publishing House was founded in 1865. During its first 60 years, it published over a billion pages of literature in support of the temperance movement.Its three monthly magazines had a combined circulation of about 600,000...
with James Black
James Black (prohibitionist)
James Black became a leader of the temperance movement in the United States after having a bad experience with alcohol intoxication, if not alcohol poisoning....
in 1865. The Society owned a publishing house that promoted teetotalism
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
.
Dow was the Prohibition Party
Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...
's candidate for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in the election of 1880, running on a ticket with prohibitionist Henry Adams Thompson
Henry Adams Thompson
Henry Adams Thompson was a noted prohibitionist who was nominated for Vice President of the United States by the Prohibition Party in 1880 with writer Neal Dow....
, and the ticket came in fourth place, receiving 10,305 votes. The election was won by James A. Garfield 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 Dow was surpassed by two other unsuccessful candidates: Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and James Baird Weaver of the Greenback Party
United States Greenback Party
The Greenback Party was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology that was active between 1874 and 1884. Its name referred to paper money, or "greenbacks," that had been issued during the American Civil War and afterward...
. He wrote Reminiscences (Portland, 1898).
Illness and death
He was eventually seen as a comical figure on the national political scene. He did, however, leave a lasting impression on Maine politics by helping engineer the Republican party's rise to dominance that lasted for most of a century, from 1855 to 1955.Dow died in Portland and is buried there in Evergreen Cemetery
Evergreen Cemetery (Portland, Maine)
Evergreen Cemetery is a garden style cemetery in Portland, Maine, United States. With of land, it is the second largest cemetery in the state. It was established in 1855 and became the city's main cemetery after the Western Cemetery. As of March 2011, only of the were used for cemetery-related...
. Neal Dow Avenue in the Westerleigh section of New York City's borough of Staten Island and Neal Dow Elementary School in Chico, California
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
are named after him.
Neal S. Dow House
Built in 1829, Neal S. Dow House is a historic house in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
built for noted politician and prohibitionist Neal S. Dow.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
- Temperance movementTemperance movementA 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...
External links
| title=Mayor of Portland, Maine| before=J. B. Cahoon
| after=Albion K. Parris
Albion K. Parris
Albion Keith Parris was an American politician and jurist of Maine. Parris served in many elected and appointed positions throughout this life, including state legislator, U.S. Senator, the fifth Governor of Maine, state Supreme Court judge, and mayor.-Biography:Parris was born in Hebron, Maine,...
| years=1851