Albion Parris

Albion Keith Parris (January 19, 1788–February 11, 1857) 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, then a part of Massachusetts. His father, Samuel, was from Massachusetts and has been one of the first settlers of the town following the American Revolutionary War. His cousin was Virgil Delphini Parris, also a politician. Parris entered Dartmouth College in 1803, graduating in 1806. He later studied law and was admitted to the bar, beginning practice in 1809 in Paris, Maine. In 1810, he married Sarah Whitman, the eldest daughter of the Reverend Levi Whitman of Wellfleet. He had three daughters and two sons (including Albion Woodbury Small), all of who survived him.

In 1811, Parris became the Oxford County prosecutor. From 1813 to 1814, Parris served in the State House; from 1814 to 1816 he was a member of the State Senate.

On March 4, 1815, Parris began his term as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, elected as a Democratic-Republican. On January 27, 1818, Parris was nominated by President James Monroe to become a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maine, the seat having been vacated by David Sewall. The appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate the next day, and Parris resigned from Congress on February 3, 1818, to assume his judgeship. In 1819, Parris was a delegate to the Maine constitutional convention. He served as a judge until January 1, 1822, when he resigned to become the Governor of Maine. Parris served as Governor until 1827.

That year, Parris was elected to the U.S. Senate, serving from March 4, 1827, to August 26, 1828, when he resigned to become a judge on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Parris served as a Supreme Judicial Court judge until 1836, when he became the Second Comptroller of the Treasury; Parris served in this position until 1850.

In 1852, Parris became the mayor of Portland. He did not seek reelection and launched an unsuccessful bid in 1854 as a Democrat to become Governor; he was defeated by Anson P. Morrill. In his later years he was an active member of the High Street Church and a Sunday School teacher. He died at age 69 in Portland and was interred at the Western Cemetery.

References

• Albion Parris at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

• Albion Parris at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.