John Chandler

Biography

John Chandler (February 1, 1762 – September 25, 1841) was an American politician and soldier of Maine. The political career of Chandler, a Democratic-Republican, was interspersed with his involvement in the state militia during both the American Revolutionary War and War of 1812.

Chandler was born in Epping, New Hampshire, the brother of Thomas Chandler. His father was a captain in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War, and had died in 1776. Chandler was self-educated and enlisted in the Continental Army at age 15. After the end of the war, he settled on a farm near Monmouth, Maine, then a part of Massachusetts. At the time, Chandler was both illiterate and without money. However, he had become the protégé of General Henry Dearborn, the future Secretary of War. Chandler borrowed $400 from the Dearborns and bought 200 acres (0.8 km²) of land. He became wealthy as a blacksmith.

From 1803 to 1805, Chandler served in the Massachusetts Senate; he later was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican, serving from March 4, 1805 to March 3, 1809. Chandler was not a candidate for renomination in 1808 and was appointed sheriff of Kennebec County the same year.

During the War of 1812, Chandler served in the U.S. Army from 1812 to 1815. Initially his appointment was as the commander of a brigade of U.S. Volunteers, troops recruited for one years service. On July 8, 1812, he was commissioned as a brigadier general. Chandler was wounded and captured during the Niagara campaign at the Battle of Stoney Creek in Canada, when he wandered into the British line, thinking it was his own. In 1814 he served defending the coast of New Hampshire and Maine, coordinating efforts between the local militia and federal units. After the war ended, Chandler returned to politics as a member of the Massachusetts General Court in 1819.

Chandler was the first president of the Maine senate and a member of the Maine Constitutional Convention. Upon the admission of Maine to the Union, Chandler was elected to the U.S. Senate. Chandler began his term on June 14, 1820, and was reelected in 1823. During his time in the Senate, Chandler was the chairman of the Committee on Militia during the 18th through 20th Congresses and played a key role in establishing the arsenal at Augusta, as well as the construction of the military road from Bangor to Houlton. He resigned on March 3, 1829, to become the customs collector of Portland, a post he held until 1837. Chandler died in Augusta at age 79 and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Chandler was a trustee of Bowdoin College. He was the uncle of Zachariah Chandler.