Evans, George (US Senator)

Born: 1797-01-12 Hallowell, Maine

Died: 1867-04-06 Portland, Maine

Flourished: Maine

George Evans was a United States representative and senator from Maine. Evans matriculated to Bowdoin College, graduating in 1815. He read law, earned admission to the Maine bar, and commenced a legal practice in Gardiner, Maine. Moving into politics, Evans was a member of the Maine House of Representatives, serving as speaker in 1829. In March 1829, he won a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He subsequently won reelection to the next six Congresses, serving in the House from July 1829 to March 1841, when he resigned. Evans won election, as a Whig, to the U.S. Senate, serving from March 1841 to March 1847. As senator, he was chairman of the committees on Manufacture, Finance, and the Territories. An unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1846, Evans resumed his legal career, opening a law practice in Portland, Maine. From 1849 to 1850, he was a member of the board of commissioners to receive and examine claims of United States citizens against Mexico. He won election as attorney general of Maine in 1850, 1854, and 1856.

Biographical Directory of the American Congress 1774-1996 (Alexandria, VA: CQ Staff Directories, 1997), 1006.