The Governor who supported women’s suffrage

by Brian Swartz

Maine’s political parties conducted their municipal caucuses in spring 1882, and Republicans nominated Gorham physician Frederick Robie as their gubernatorial candidate. By then he had paid his political dues — and he was a veteran to boot.

Born in Gorham to Toppan and Sarah Thaxter Robie on August 12, 1822, Robie attended Gorham Academy and then Bowdoin College, graduating from there in 1841. He then taught a few years down South, including a stint as a tutor for a Florida plantation owner’s family. Returning north, Robie graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1844 and practiced medicine in Biddeford for 11 years and in Waldoboro for three years before moving his practice to Gorham. Elected to the Maine House of Rep- resentatives as a Republican in 1859, he won re-election in 1860. After Fort Sumter, Robie offered his services to President Abraham Lincoln, who appointed him an army paymaster and a major, effective June 1, 1861.

Two years later Robie transferred to Boston as the army’s New England chief paymaster. He ended the war on July 20, 1866 as a brevet lieutenant colonel of volunteers.

“This is the first instance of a Maine Paymaster securing such an honor [the brevet promotion] and it could have been bestowed on no more faithful, modest and unassuming officer,” stated the Portland Star. “He is held by the Paymaster General as one of the best officers in the Pay Department of our country.”

“He has been a gentlemanly and courteous officer and has faithfully discharged the duties of his office,” said Portland’s Eastern Argus.

Robie stayed in the army long after the war’s end to calculate final pay for discharged New England soldiers, especially Maine men. He signed thousands of discharge papers and met countless veterans, many of whom would support his political career.

Elected to the Maine Senate in 1866 and 1867, Robie later returned to the Maine House. Majority Republicans made him House Speaker in 1872 and 1876. He lived on a Gorham farm that had long belonged to the Robie family, married Olivia M. Priest, and had at least three daughters and a son with her.

A strong Gorham Academy supporter, Robie pushed to transition that venerable school to become the Gorham Normal School, where prospective teachers could be educated. Decades later that school became the University of Southern Maine, located in the heart of Gorham. Robie contributed financially to his alma mater.

With his legislative experience, he was expected to run for governor. Robie traveled to France in 1878 as an American commissioner at the Paris Exposition. During his absence Maine Republican leaders tossed his hat into the gubernatorial ring, and he garnered a few Republican votes when legislators met in late 1879.

That year’s election saw no clear-cut winner for governor, political obfuscation tossed the State House into turmoil, and outgoing Governor Alonzo Garcelon summoned Major General Joshua L. Chamberlain to Augusta to deal with armed factions prowling the State House corridors and grounds. Ultimately the Maine Supreme Court sorted through legal and illegal votes and declared Republican candidate

Daniel F. Davis the winner.

Upon taking office on January 17, 1880 he named Robie to the Executive Council. Recognizing his talent, incoming Democratic Governor Harris M. Plaisted retained Robie on the council after taking office in January 1881.

Robie became Maine’s 39th governor upon being sworn into office on January 3, 1883, and he served two consecutive two-year terms by winning re-election in 1884.

Robie supported women’s suffrage. During his January 1885 inaugural address he referred “to the necessity of some change of our laws which would and should give women increased opportunities to discharge the duties of citizenship.

“By innumerable deeds of noble conflict on every field of moral, intellectual and social effort, women have won equal honors with the other sex, and established by works her right to a just recognition and equality which (cont. on page 26)

(cont. from page 25) selfish rule has heretofore prevented,” Robie said. “Intelligence of the citizen is the only true basis of suffrage, and if equality is assured, let us not ignore its logical consequences, but give to women all the rights of citizenship.”

Unfortunately Maine women would not gain the right to vote until the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, but Robie had opened the political doors for other state bills that advanced women’s rights.

Although employed as a doctor, Robie always retained strong interest in agriculture and ran the large family farm for many years. After serving as president of the Cumberland County Agricultural Society, he became the Worthy Master of the Maine State Grange. Active in the Grand Army of the Republic Post 101 in Gorham, Robie also joined the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

Olivia Robie died in 1898; Frederic

Robie married Martha Ellen Cressey in 1900. Upon his death in Gorham at age 89 on February 3, 1912, his family buried him in the Eastern Cemetery run-