| Brigadier-General Samuel Waldo | |
|---|---|
Brigadier General Samuel Waldo (c. 1748–1750) by Robert Feke |
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| Born | August 7, 1696 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | May 23, 1759 (aged 62) near Bangor, Maine |
| Resting place | Fort Point, Cape Jellison, Maine |
| Spouse | Lucy Wainwright |
| Parents | Jonathan Waldo Hannah Mason |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | British America |
| Service/branch | Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia |
| Years of service | c.1742–1759 |
| Rank | Brigadier-General |
| Battles/wars | Siege of Louisbourg (1745) |
| Other work | named Mount Waldo |
| Signature | |
Brigadier-General Samuel Waldo (August 7, 1696 – May 23, 1759) was a wealthy merchant, land speculator, soldier and political figure in Massachusetts.
He was born in Boston, the son of Jonathan Waldo and Hannah Mason. In 1722, he married Lucy Wainwright.[1] In 1730, he purchased title to a large tract of land in Nova Scotia with the intent of establishing a colony there; the title did not stand up when he proposed this plan to the authorities in England. A one-time business partner of Colonel Thomas Westbrook, Waldo acquired a large tract of land near the Penobscot and Muscongus rivers in what is now Maine where he settled a group of German families in 1740. He served as brigadier-general in the attack on Fortress Louisbourg in 1745 and served on the temporary council that administered the settlement until Peter Warren was named governor. In 1757, he submitted a plan to William Pitt which served as a basis for the recapture of Louisbourg from the French the following year. Waldo died of apoplexy near Bangor, Maine in 1759 while participating in a military expedition with Governor Thomas Pownall.[2]
The Maine towns of Waldo and Waldoboro, together with Waldo County, are named for their early proprietor.