Prentiss Mellen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Prentiss Mellen
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| United States Senator from Massachusetts |
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| In office June 5, 1818 – May 15, 1820 |
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| Preceded by | Eli P. Ashmun |
| Succeeded by | Elijah H. Mills |
| First Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
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| In office July 1, 1820–October 11, 1834 |
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| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Nathan Weston |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 11, 1764 Sterling, Massachusetts |
| Died | December 31, 1840 (aged 76) Portland, Maine |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Spouse | Sarah Hudson |
| Children | Grenville Mellen; Frederic Mellen |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Profession | Attorney |
Prentiss Mellen (born October 11, 1764 – died December 31, 1840) was an important lawyer, politician, and judge from Massachusetts and Maine. He was born in Massachusetts and went to Harvard. Mellen was a U.S. Senator for two years, representing Massachusetts. After Maine became its own state in 1820, he was chosen to be its first chief justice.
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Early Life and Education
Prentiss Mellen was born in 1764 in a town now called Sterling, Massachusetts. He was the eighth of nine children. His father was a local minister, and his mother's father was also a minister.
Mellen graduated from Harvard College in 1784. After college, he moved to Barnstable. There, he worked as a tutor for the family of James Otis Jr.. He also studied law with a lawyer named Shearjashub Bourne.
Starting a Law Career
Prentiss Mellen became a lawyer in 1788. He first opened his own law office in Sterling, but it was not very successful. He then moved to Bridgewater and started another practice. In Bridgewater, he met Sally Hudson from Hartford, Connecticut. They got married in 1795 and had six children together. Four of their children lived longer than he did.
Mellen still struggled to find financial success. He briefly worked with his brother in Dover, New Hampshire. Finally, he settled in Biddeford, which was then part of Massachusetts. Around 1806, he moved to Portland.
Political Career and Chief Justice Role
Prentiss Mellen served on the Massachusetts Governor's Council in 1808–1809 and again in 1817. He also helped choose the president in 1817 as a presidential elector. From 1817 to 1836, he was a trustee for Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.
Serving in the U.S. Senate
Mellen was elected to the United States Senate to represent Massachusetts. He took the place of Eli P. Ashmun, who had resigned. Mellen served as a U.S. Senator from June 5, 1818, until May 15, 1820. He resigned from the Senate because Maine was about to become a separate state.
Maine's First Chief Justice
In 1820, Maine officially became its own state. Prentiss Mellen was then chosen to be the very first chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He served in this important role until 1834. He had to resign because of his age.
His last major public work was leading a group to update and organize Maine's laws. This work was finished in 1840.
Fighting for Abolition
In 1833, Mellen became the first president of a new group in Portland. This group was formed to work against slavery, known as an abolitionist society. Samuel Fessenden and Methodist Reverend Gershom A. Cox were the vice-presidents of this society.
Prentiss Mellen passed away in Portland on December 31, 1840. He was buried in the Western Cemetery in Portland.
