Edward Kavanagh

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title: "Edward Kavanagh" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1795-births", "1844-deaths", "ambassadors-of-the-united-states-to-portugal", "democratic-party-members-of-the-maine-house-of-representatives", "19th-century-american-diplomats", "presidents-of-the-maine-senate", "democratic-party-maine-state-senators", "democratic-party-governors-of-maine", "people-from-damariscotta,-maine", "st.-mary's-seminary-and-university-alumni", "maine-democratic-republicans", "jacksonian-united-states-representatives-from-maine", "people-from-newcastle,-maine", "georgetown-university-college-of-arts-&-sciences-alumni", "19th-century-united-states-representatives", "19th-century-members-of-the-maine-legislature"] description: "Governor of Maine (1795–1844)" topic_path: "people/1790s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Kavanagh" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Governor of Maine (1795–1844) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Edward Kavanagh
image	Edward Kavanagh (Maine Governor).jpg
caption	Governor Edward Kavanagh. From 1893's "Representative Men of Maine".
order	Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Maine's 3rd district
term_start	March 4, 1831
term_end	March 3, 1835
preceded	Joseph F. Wingate
succeeded	Jeremiah Bailey
order2	Chargé d'Affaires to Portugal
term_start2	March 3, 1835
term_end2	June 1841
predecessor2	Thomas L. L. Brent
successor2	Washington Barrow
title3	17th Governor of Maine
term_start3	March 7, 1843
term_end3	January 1, 1844
predecessor3	John Fairfield
successor3	David Dunn
order4	19th President of the Maine Senate
term_start4	1843
term_end4	1843
predecessor4	Samuel Blake
successor4	Virgil D. Parris
order5	Member of the
Maine Senate
term_start5	1842
term_end5	1843
order6	Member of the
Maine House of Representatives
term_start6	1826
term_end6	1828
birth_date
birth_place	Newcastle, District of Maine, Massachusetts, US
death_date
death_place	Newcastle, Maine, US
resting_place	St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Damariscotta Mills, Maine
party	Democrat
alma_mater	Montreal Seminary, Georgetown College, St. Mary's College
::

| name =Edward Kavanagh | image = Edward Kavanagh (Maine Governor).jpg | imagesize = | smallimage = | caption =Governor Edward Kavanagh. From 1893's "Representative Men of Maine". |order = Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 3rd district |term_start= March 4, 1831 |term_end = March 3, 1835 |preceded = Joseph F. Wingate |succeeded = Jeremiah Bailey | order2 =Chargé d'Affaires to Portugal | term_start2 =March 3, 1835 | term_end2 = June 1841 | predecessor2 =Thomas L. L. Brent | successor2 =Washington Barrow | order3 = |title3=17th Governor of Maine | term_start3 =March 7, 1843 | term_end3 = January 1, 1844 | predecessor3 =John Fairfield | successor3 = David Dunn | order4 =19th President of the Maine Senate | term_start4 =1843 | term_end4 = 1843 | predecessor4 =Samuel Blake | successor4 = Virgil D. Parris | order5 =Member of the Maine Senate | term_start5 =1842 | term_end5 = 1843 | predecessor5 = | successor5 = | order6 =Member of the Maine House of Representatives | term_start6 = 1826 | term_end6 = 1828 | predecessor6 = | successor6 = | birth_date = | birth_place =Newcastle, District of Maine, Massachusetts, US | death_date = | death_place = Newcastle, Maine, US | resting_place= St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Damariscotta Mills, Maine | nationality = | party =Democrat | otherparty = | spouse = | relations = | children = | residence = | alma_mater =Montreal Seminary, Georgetown College, St. Mary's College | occupation = | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes =

Edward Kavanagh (April 27, 1795 – January 22, 1844) was a United States representative and the 17th governor of Maine. Born in Newcastle in the Massachusetts District of Maine to Irish Catholic immigrants from County Wexford. He later attended Montreal Seminary (in Quebec, Canada) and Georgetown College in Washington. He graduated from St. Mary's College (Baltimore) in 1813. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Damariscotta, Maine. He was a member of the Maine House of Representatives from 1826 to 1828, and was secretary of the state senate in 1830.

Kavanagh's public career began with a plea to the framers of the Maine Constitution to include an article for official religious toleration. His first elected role was on the school committee, followed by roles as selectman, state representative, and state senator. In 1829 the legislature elected him as secretary of state.

Kavanagh was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-second and Twenty-third Congresses, serving from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1835. He was nationally noticed as the first Catholic elected from New England. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1834 to the Twenty-fourth Congress, and was appointed Chargé d'Affaires to Portugal on March 3, 1835, and served until his resignation in June 1841. He was one of the four Maine commissioners on the northeastern boundary in 1842 in the negotiations that led to the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, and was a member of the Maine Senate in 1842 and 1843 and served as the president of the Maine Senate.

Governor of Maine

Kavanagh became Governor of Maine upon the election of Governor Fairfield on March 7, 1843, to replace U.S. Senator Reuel Williams upon William's resignation, and served until the end of the term in 1844. Less than four weeks later, Kavanagh died in Newcastle; interment was in St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Damariscotta Mills.

Kavanagh's house in Newcastle has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Electoral history

|party = Jacksonian Party |candidate = Edward Kavanagh |votes = 2,164 |percentage = 52.77 |party = National Republican Party |candidate = Moses Shaw |votes = 1,707 |percentage = 41.62 |party = Unknown |candidate = Parker McCobb |votes = 230 |percentage = 5.61 |votes = 4,101 |percentage = 100.00 |winner = Jacksonian Party |loser = Adams Party}}

|party = Democratic Party (US) |candidate = Edward Kavanagh (incumbent) |votes = 3,063 |percentage = 56.22 |party = National Republican Party |candidate = Jeremiah Bailey |votes = 2,044 |percentage = 37.52 |party = Anti-Masonic Party |candidate = John McKown |votes = 341 |percentage = 6.26 |votes = 5,448 |percentage = 100.00 |winner = Democratic Party (United States)

|party = Whig Party (United States) |candidate = Jeremiah Bailey |votes = 4,240 |percentage = 52.88 |party = Democratic Party (US) |candidate = Edward Kavanagh (incumbent) |votes = 3,778 |percentage = 47.12 |votes = 8,018 |percentage = 100.00 |winner = Whig Party (United States) |loser = Democratic Party (United States)}}

|party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Hugh J. Anderson |votes = 32,034 |percentage = 50.25 |party = Whig Party (United States) |candidate = Edward Robinson |votes = 20,975 |percentage = 32.90 |party = Liberty Party (United States, 1840) |candidate = James Appleton |votes = 6,746 |percentage = 10.58 |party = Independent Democrat |candidate = Edward Kavanagh (incumbent) |votes = 3,221 |percentage = 5.05 |party = |candidate = Scattering |votes = 770 |percentage = 1.22 |votes = 63,746 |percentage = 100.00 |winner= Democratic Party (United States)

References

References

1. Eagan, Eileen. (1999). "The Encyclopedia of the Irish in America". [[University of Notre Dame Press]].
2. Rolde, Neal. (1990). "Maine: A Narrative History". Harpswell Press.
3. {{CathEncy
4. {{CongBio. K000022
5. "Our Campaigns - ME District 3 - 2nd Trial Race - Nov 22, 1830".
6. "Our Campaigns - ME District 3 Race - Sep 09, 1833".
7. "Our Campaigns - ME District 3 Race - Sep 08, 1834".
8. "Our Campaigns - ME Governor Race - Sep 11, 1843".

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