Stephen Longfellow

Stephen Longfellow (March 23, 1776 – August 2, 1849) was a U.S. representative from Maine and a prominent lawyer, legislator, and civic leader in early New England. He was born in Gorham, Cumberland County, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay (now Gorham, Maine), to Stephen Longfellow and Patience (Young) Longfellow. Raised in what was then a frontier region of Massachusetts, he came of age during the early years of the American Republic, a context that shaped his later engagement in law, politics, and public affairs.

Longfellow pursued a rigorous education, first attending Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, one of the leading preparatory schools in New England. He then enrolled at Harvard University, from which he graduated in 1798. After completing his collegiate studies, he read law, was admitted to the bar in 1801, and commenced legal practice in Portland, in what is now the state of Maine but was then still part of Massachusetts. In 1804 he married Zilpah Wadsworth, with whom he had eight children. Among their children were the noted poets Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Samuel Longfellow, whose literary achievements later brought additional renown to the family name.

Before Maine achieved statehood, Longfellow was active in Massachusetts politics. He served as a member of the General Court of Massachusetts in 1814 and 1815, representing the interests of the District of Maine. A member of the Federalist Party, he was chosen as a delegate to the Hartford Convention in 1814–1815, where New England Federalists met to discuss their grievances concerning the War of 1812 and federal policy. In 1816 he further demonstrated his standing within the party by serving as a Federalist presidential elector. During this period he also developed a reputation as a capable attorney and public-spirited citizen in Portland.

Longfellow’s congressional career took place after Maine separated from Massachusetts and entered the Union as a state in 1820. As a member of the Unknown Party representing Maine in the existing record, and historically identified as an Adams-Clay Federalist, he was elected to the Eighteenth Congress and served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1823, to March 3, 1825. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, in the years following the Missouri Compromise and amid the evolving politics of the so‑called Era of Good Feelings. In this context he contributed to the legislative process, participating in the democratic governance of the new state and representing the interests of his Maine constituents at the national level. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1824 and, upon the conclusion of his term, resumed the practice of law in Portland.

In addition to his federal service, Longfellow remained active in state and local affairs. He served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives in 1826, continuing his long engagement in legislative work that had begun under Massachusetts jurisdiction. His commitment to education and culture was reflected in his long association with Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He served as an overseer of Bowdoin College from 1811 to 1817 and then as a trustee from 1817 to 1836, helping to guide the institution during a formative period in its history. His support for intellectual and cultural life in Portland extended to his role as one of the founding members of the Portland Athenaeum, an important literary and scholarly institution in the city.

Longfellow’s civic leadership also encompassed historical and scholarly pursuits. In 1834 he served as president of the Maine Historical Society, an organization dedicated to preserving the state’s historical record and fostering historical research. Through his legal practice, legislative service, educational oversight, and cultural and historical work, he played a significant role in the public life of Maine during the first half of the nineteenth century.

Stephen Longfellow died in Portland, Maine, on August 2, 1849. He was interred in Western Cemetery in Portland. His life spanned the transition from colonial province to independent statehood for Maine, and his career reflected the intertwined development of law, politics, education, and culture in New England during that era.