Sumner Sewall
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Sumner Sewall (June 17, 1897 – January 25, 1965) was a U.S. Republican politician and airline executive who served as the Governor of Maine from 1941 to 1945.
A native of Bath, Maine, Sewall dropped out of Harvard College in 1917 to go to Europe to aid the Allies during World War I. Sewall served first in the American Ambulance Field Service, then in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, then finally as a fighter pilot. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the French Legion of Honor, the Croix de Guerre and the Order of the Crown of Belgium.
After the war, he worked in a variety of jobs, including being an executive with Colonial Air Transport and a director of United Air Lines.
His political career began when he became an alderman in Bath in 1933. He was elected to the Maine state legislature as a representative in 1934, then as a senator in 1936 and 1938. After the latter election, he was named President of the State Senate. In 1940, he was elected governor, and served two terms. Sewall's administration was notable for cleaning up scandals in state government and passing a minimum wage law for state teachers.
After stepping down as governor, Sewall became president of American Overseas Airlines for a year, then served as the military governor of Württemberg-Baden from 1946 to 1947. In 1948, Sewall finished a distant third in the Republican primary for Maine's open United States Senate seat, which ended his political career.
[edit] Family
Sewall married Helen Ellena Evans in 1929. They had a son, David.
Sewall's grandfather, Arthur Sewall, was the Democratic candidate for vice-president in 1896.
[edit] References
- Gunther, John. Inside U.S.A. New York : Curtis, 1947. 487-489.
- Leviero, Anthony. "Low Salary Bars La Follette Job." New York Times 8 Oct. 1947: 17.
- "Mrs. Smith wins in Maine race for Senate; Gov. Hildreth concedes." New York Times 22 Jun. 1948: 1.
- "Past President: Sumner Sewall, Republican, 1939-1940"
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Lewis O. Barrows |
Governor of Maine 1941–1945 |
Succeeded by Horace A. Hildreth |
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