William L. Bonney
William L. Bonney | |
|---|---|
| Maine State Treasurer | |
| In office 1921–1926 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph W. Simpson |
| Succeeded by | William S. Owen |
| Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives | |
| In office 1917–1918 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert W. Trafton |
| Succeeded by | Frank G. Farrington |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 3, 1866 Turner, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | May 27, 1937 (aged 71) Hebron, Maine, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Colby College |
William L.1 Bonney (March 3, 1866 – May 27, 1937) was an American politician who was speaker of the Maine House of Representatives from 1917 to 1918 and Maine State Treasurer from 1921 to 1926. He was the first person from Sagadahoc County, Maine to hold either office.[1]
Early life
Bonney was born in Turner, Maine, on March 3, 1866 to Tristam and Maria (Whitman) Bonney.[2] He was a cousin of Percival Bonney.[1] He was educated at the Hebron Academy and graduated from Colby College in 1892.[3] He played first base for the Colby baseball team.[4][5]
Bonney was principal of the Patten Academy from 1894 to 1897, Fort Fairfield High School from 1897 to 1900, and Skowhegan Area High School from 1900 to 1902. He served as the Maine representative for the American Book Company from 1902 until his death.[6] In 1912, Bonney was elected to the Hebron Academy's board of trustees.[4]
On June 11, 1897, Bonney marred Mary A. Shaw in Turner.[2] Shaw had been orphaned as a child and resided with Bonney's uncle after her parents' deaths.[7] In 1906, Bonney moved to Bowdoinham, Maine,[1] where he maintained one of the state's best apple orchards.[8]
Politics
Bonney was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1914. He was the only Republican elected in Sagadahoc County as well as the only Republican representative from the third council district. As such, he had sole discresion in selecting the Republican nominee for Executive Councilor from the district.[9] Duing his freshman term, Bonney was a member of the insurance committee.[10] In 1916, Bonney was reelected and the Republicans took control of the House. He ran for speaker and defeated Percival P. Baxter 65 votes to 28 to win the nomination of the Republican caucus.[11] He did not run for reelection in 1918 and was succeeded as speaker by Frank G. Farrington, whom Bonney had previously succeeded as principal of Skowhegan Area High School.[1]
In 1921, Bonney was elected Maine State Treasurer without opposition.[1] He was reelected in 1923 and 1925, but term limits kept him from running in 1927.[12]
Later life and death
Bonney spent the final ten years of his life residing in Gardiner, Maine. On May 26, 1937, Bonney, who had been in ill health for three to four months, traveled to Hebron, Maine to attend a Hebron Academy trustees meeting. The following morning, he suddenly collapsed and died at the home of the school's principal, Ralph H. Hunt.[4]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e "State Treasurer Bonney Had It All His Own Way". Lewiston Saturday Journal. January 24, 1921. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ a b c Hodgkins, Theodore Roosevelt, ed. (1926). Brief Biographies, Maine, Volume 1. Lewiston Journal Company. p. 33.
- ^ a b American Legislative Leaders in the Northeast, 1911-1994. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2000. pp. 62–63. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d "William L. Bonney: Former State Treasurer And House Speaker Dies At Hebron". The Lewiston Daily Sun. May 28, 1937. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ "Bowdoin vs. Colby". Lewiston Evening Journal. May 2, 1892. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ a b General Catalogue of Officers, Graduates and Former Students of Colby College, Volume 4. Colby College. 1920. p. 1892. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Mrs. William L. Bonney". The Lewiston Daily Sun. April 4, 1938. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ "The Bowdoinham Shoe Factory". Lewiston Evening Journal. March 26, 1910. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ "The Curtain Rung Up On The Legislative Drama Of 1915". Lewiston Evening Journal. January 8, 1915. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ "Most Dangerous Bill Of Session". Lewiston Evening Journal. March 31, 1915. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ "Sturgis Wins Att'y Gen'l Nomination On 16 Ballot". The Lewiston Daily Sun. January 3, 1917. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ "George S. Foster, State Treasurer, Dies At Bangor". Lewiston Evening Journal. August 25, 1936. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ Farnam, Charles Henry (1889). History of the Descendants of John Whitman of Weymouth, Mass. Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor. p. 222. Retrieved 10 November 2025.