Robert P. Dunlap (original) (raw)

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American politician (1794–1859)

Robert P. Dunlap
Member of U.S. House of Representativesfrom Maine's 2nd district
In officeMarch 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847
Preceded by William Pitt Fessenden
Succeeded by Asa Clapp
11th Governor of Maine
In officeJanuary 1, 1834 – January 3, 1838
Preceded by Samuel E. Smith
Succeeded by Edward Kent
Member of theMaine Senate
In office1831–1833
Member of theExecutive Council of Maine
7th President of the Maine Senate
In office1827–1828
Preceded by Jonas Wheeler
Succeeded by Nathan Cutler
Member of theMaine Senate
In office1824–1828
Personal details
Born (1794-08-17)August 17, 1794Brunswick, Massachusetts(now Maine)
Died October 20, 1859(1859-10-20) (aged 65)Brunswick, Maine, US
Alma mater Bowdoin College

Robert Pinckney Dunlap (August 17, 1794 – October 20, 1859) was the 11th Governor of Maine and a U.S. Representative from Maine.

Born in Brunswick (in modern-day Maine, then a part of Massachusetts), Dunlap was educated by private tutors. He graduated from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, in 1815. His father, John Dunlap, was born in Dracut, Massachusetts in 1738 and was as a Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia Captain who served during the French and Indian War, while his grandfather, Rev. Robert Dunlap, was born in 1715 in County Antrim, Ireland and was a Presbyterian minister trained at the University of Edinburgh.[1] He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1818, and commenced practice in Brunswick.

Dunlap served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives from 1821 to 1823. He served as president of the board of overseers of Bowdoin College from 1821 until his death. He served as member of the state militia, and was delegated to receive General Lafayette when he visited Maine in 1824.

Dunlap served in the State Senate 1824-1828 and 1831–1833, including three years as Senate President, in 1827, 1828, and 1831. He is, as of 2020, the only person to serve non-consecutive terms as Senate President.[2] In between his Senate terms, he was a member of the Executive Council of Maine. He served four one-year terms as Governor of Maine from 1834 to 1838.

Dunlap was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Congresses (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847).

He served as chairman of the Committee on Public Expenditures (Twenty-ninth Congress). He served as collector of customs in Portland, Maine, in 1848-49, and postmaster of Brunswick in 1853-57.

Dunlap died in Brunswick, Maine, October 20, 1859. He was interred in Pine Grove Cemetery.

  1. ^ "The Ulster-Scots and New England: Scotch-Irish foundations in the New World" (PDF). Ulster-Scots Agency. p. 29. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  2. ^ "1827 Robert Dunlap". Archived from the original on January 27, 2004.
Party political offices
Preceded bySamuel E. Smith Democratic nominee for Governor of Maine 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836 Succeeded byGorham Parks
Political offices
Preceded bySamuel E. Smith 11th Governor of Maine 1834-1838 Succeeded byEdward Kent
Preceded byJonas Wheeler 7th President of the Maine Senate 1827-1828 Succeeded byNathan Cutler
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded byWilliam Pitt Fessenden Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd congressional district March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847 Succeeded byAsa Clapp