Andrew, John Albion

Andrew, John Albion

(1818–67) governor; born in Windham, Maine. He attended Bowdoin College where he was known for his strong antislavery views. A Boston lawyer, he helped to organize the Free Soil Party (1848), became a leader of the new Republican Party, and raised money for John Brown's defense (1859). As governor of Massachusetts (1860–66), he worked indefatigably to raise and equip regiments for the Union cause. Most notably, he successfully worked for the creation of the first regiment (the 54th) of African-Americans in the Union army.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.