Abiel Wood

Abiel Wood (July 22, 1772 – October 26, 1834) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts and a prominent early political figure in what later became the State of Maine. He was born in Pownalborough in the Province of Maine, then part of Massachusetts Bay (an area now known as Wiscasset, Maine). He was the son of General Abiel Wood (1743–1811) and Betsey Tinkham, both originally of Middleborough, Massachusetts, and was the second of eleven children in a large New England family whose standing and connections helped shape his later public career.

Wood attended the common schools of his community, receiving the basic education typical of late eighteenth-century New England. After his schooling he engaged in mercantile pursuits in the Wiscasset area, entering the commercial life that was central to the economy of coastal Maine. On November 30, 1793, he married Hannah Hodge in Wiscasset. The couple had one child, a daughter named Helen, who later married John Hannibal Sheppard. Wood’s early involvement in trade and shipping, combined with his family background, provided the foundation for his entry into public affairs.

Wood’s political career began at the state level in Massachusetts, which then exercised jurisdiction over the District of Maine. He served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1807 to 1811, representing the interests of his coastal community during a period marked by maritime tensions and the lead-up to the War of 1812. After a brief interval away from the legislature, he returned to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1816, continuing his role in state governance and in the evolving political life of the Maine district.

As a member of the Republican Party—then commonly known as the Democratic-Republican Party—representing Massachusetts, Wood was elected to the national legislature as a Democratic-Republican to the Thirteenth Congress. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1813, to March 3, 1815. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, encompassing much of the War of 1812. During this time he contributed to the legislative process, participating in the democratic governance of the young republic and representing the interests of his constituents from the District of Maine. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1814 to the Fourteenth Congress, which ended his brief but notable tenure in the national legislature.

Following his congressional service, Wood remained active in public life as the movement for Maine’s separation from Massachusetts gained momentum. He served as a delegate to the constitutional convention of Maine in 1819, helping to frame the fundamental law of the new state as it prepared for admission to the Union. After Maine achieved statehood in 1820, he continued his service as a Maine State councilor, participating in the advisory body that assisted the governor and played a key role in early state administration.

In addition to his political responsibilities, Wood resumed and expanded his mercantile pursuits and became further engaged in shipping, reflecting the continuing importance of maritime commerce to his region. He later served as bank commissioner for the State of Maine, overseeing aspects of the state’s financial institutions at a time when banking and credit were crucial to economic development in the new state. He held this position until his death.

Abiel Wood died in Belfast, Maine, on October 26, 1834, while still serving as bank commissioner. He was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in Wiscasset, returning in death to the community where he had been born, conducted his business, and established his family. His career, spanning local commerce, state legislative service, national representation, and key roles in the creation and early governance of Maine, reflected the political and economic transformations of New England in the early nineteenth century.