february american lawyer politician massachusetts served terms governor massachusetts months acting governor following death served years associate justice running unsuccessfully democrat governor finally won election acquiring exactly number votes required majority win losing elections reelected narrow victory highly contributed long string defeats brief periods resulted substantive democratic supported reforms dominant reversed changes enacted terms opponent extension slavery split longtime friend issue eventually left party free soil movement considered potential vice presidential running mate early years born massachusetts son mary sources report day birth february december father farmer politically active serving time received early education home placed age fourteen academy reverend rochester massachusetts admitted sophomore class graduated time brown came adopt ideas making outspoken speech commencement read law year office judge entered law school connecticut served mentor friend years moving admitted bar opened practice december year married children later received honorary law degrees brown harvard entry politics partisan skills frequently speaking dominated massachusetts politics governor offered post district attorney office held teacher judge accept post offered nominated democratic republicans run congress lost wide margin seen strongly district years later surprise victorious rematch despite strength races reelected narrowly lost congress supported actions wars opposed personally opposed slavery let inform political decisions later life preferred instead focus efforts priorities despite written statements slavery matter contentious debate party factions democratic_party sought use 1840s early years proponent free trade like massachusetts politicians later adopted strong stance calling early period life runs governor elected massachusetts governor council following year elected lieutenant governor serving republican governor died office february served acting governor election months later election virtually eliminated force state wealthy republicans known predecessor disagreed trend calling national republicans aristocratic preferring style democracy instead refused stand election governor prevailed run lieutenant governor won post serving nominated republicans coalition unhappy termed whig accused lincoln tool aristocracy resigned lieutenant governorship lincoln promptly appointed associate justice post hold democrat justices having appointed despite wrote notable decisions wrote court decision charles river bridge case eventually went toll bridge constructed boston defendants competing bridge state issued charter argued defendant charter charter claimed state granted exclusive right control crossing split dismissed case heard supreme_court wrote decision favoring defendants pointing state going grant exclusive right explicitly case reasoning upheld lone commonwealth time nation convicted minister turned statements christians found offensive convicted trial court appealed highly trials ended hung conviction upheld appeals took case march representing argued statements rise level specified statute argued statute violated amendment united_states constitution chief justice writing court majority found speech satisfied legal definition narrow construction found law violate state constitution free speech religion dissent argued liberal reading article state constitution addressed religious freedoms argued person constitutional right discuss subject god deny existence agree man punished legal right governor refused pardon served days prison case frequently cited american cases perennial candidate governor political situation late 1820s 1830s fluid democrats highly major groups control party apparatus support base consisted mainly farmers industrial shipyard laborers recent immigrants second faction dominated consisted merchants wealthy coastal interests opposed whig interests faction successfully controlled party apparatus early years headed split john adams camp political aspects bridge controversy principal party organizing force perennial gubernatorial candidate running office year party supported organizing efforts friend served vice president adams jackson generally overt campaigning sensitive maintaining appearance neutrality judge able significant electoral lincoln years held governor seat principally opposition national republicans fragmented exemplified anti party particular significant numbers democratic votes election despite attempts national republicans democrats fold able mildly apparently recognize potential power despite significant electoral showing result democrats lacked voting strength national republicans democrats drew support attacking larger parties lack attention labor issues sufficiently repeated failures considered abandoning quest governorship convinced soldier broke ranks friend support believed based support slavery caused siding southern democrats closest came victory election lincoln stepped way race involving worcester congressman running national republican running principal opponents candidate candidates received required majority state legislature chose davis largest vote adams withdrew davis favor late 1830s activists abolition slavery grown potent political force state democrats including avoided issue pursuit political objectives began regularly requesting formal statements candidates office subject known personally opposed slavery gained votes elections despite answers gave requests opponent elections opposed slavery speech sympathetic rights faction democratic_party gained strength organizational skill historian successful moves spearheaded change methods lower level party leaders chosen resigned politically important post collector starting struggle party valuable patronage potential recipients eventually dropped suggesting instead western state attracted support democratic fold governor election unrelated issue came finally gave victory whig legislature passed bill promoted activists banned sale liquor quantities gallons effectively outlawed service bar bill seen instance class vote close performed ballots carefully ballot counted contained despite efforts whig partisans deny writer intended vote person found state refused persist certified winner votes exactly half cast votes scattered hostile whig dominated legislature reform agenda went proposals reductions poll tax number capital crimes defeated democrats able introduce fiscal discipline produced budget surplus years attacked proposals poor economic policy focus defeating convinced return run went defeat wide margin gains rematch candidate abolitionist party secured votes send election state legislature party large number state senate choose winner hoped use position balance power control outcome single whig vote fill senate led democratic majority chamber senate went choose governor called series reforms repeating including proposal transfer tax burden real personal property criticized mention slavery inaugural address term leaders democratic factions executive party appointments death president shortly taking office brought party divisions potential presidential nominees state support consequence reform agenda implemented despite nominally working democratic liberty coalition majority legislature lost opportunity party better opening massachusetts profit position election set whig lawyer rural chosen counter appeal rural voters liberty candidate won votes deny won vote majority election sent legislature legislature returned whig control elected promptly reforms enacted term later years following defeat finally decided stop running governor yielding nomination september traveled neighboring rhode_island agitated release leader sentenced hard labor democratic sympathies ammunition subsequent elections president appointed collector port boston served years approval nomination somewhat controversial southern senators earlier statements opposition slavery appointment approved began politically important post effort bring state party membership line vision succeeded widening existing party organization divide resulted delay confirmation political faction caused permanent break political relations state convention faction refused allow platform items opposing slavery quit party burgeoning free soil movement refuse support democrat free soil coalition saw election democrat governor free senator invited run vice presidential nominee free soil ticket refused arguing new needed geographic diversity finally chose wisconsin party convention chose massachusetts campaigned ended polling delegate elected free soil ticket serving term death legacy died home buried home later original building demolished 1960s hospital expansion son named marcus followed state supreme court eventually serving chief justice daughter mother novelist
Marcus Morton