Alanson B. Farwell was born around 1825 in Greene, Maine. He lived in Farmington, Maine, and he earned a living as a lawyer. In 1849, he was appointed assistant clerk of the Maine House of Representatives. He held the position until 1853, when he became clerk of the House. He also served as aide-de-camp for Governor John Hubbard in the early 1850s.

 

He married a woman named Abigail, and their daughter Alice was born around 1859. In 1858, he was elected Clerk of Courts for Franklin County, Maine. By 1860, he owned $1,600 of real estate and $900 of personal property. He supported the Republican Party, and he served on the Republican State Committee in the early 1860s.

 

When the Civil War began, he became a chief clerk for the United States Navy’s Bureau of Construction and Repair. He resigned in 1863 and accepted a position as military and sanitary agent representing Maine in Washington, D.C. He resigned the following year and returned to Maine. He served as president of the Maine Soldiers’ Relief Association.

 

He was elected to the state legislature in 1869 and reelected the following year. By 1870, he was working as a lawyer in Augusta, Maine. The family owned $25,000 of real estate and $23,000 of personal property. He fell ill in 1871. According to one writer, he was “obliged to relinquish all business, both public and private.” He died in Augusta on July 28, 1874.

SOURCES