Elmer E. Newbert

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
Elmer E. Newbert
Maine State Treasurer
In office
1915–1916
Preceded byJoseph W. Simpson
Succeeded byJoseph W. Simpson
Mayor of Augusta, Maine
In office
1913–1915
Preceded byReuel J. Noyes
Succeeded byBlaine S. Viles
Personal details
Born(1861-11-15)November 15, 1861
Waldoboro, Maine, U.S.
DiedMarch 20, 1939(1939-03-20) (aged 77)
Augusta, Maine, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materBangor Theological Seminary

Elmer Ellsworth Newbert (November 15, 1861 – March 20, 1939) was an American Unitarian minister and politician who was the mayor of Augusta, Maine from 1913 to 1915 and Maine State Treasurer from 1915 to 1916. He was the Democratic nominee in the 1918 United States Senate election in Maine, but was defeated by Republican incumbent Bert M. Fernald.

Early life and ministry

[edit]

Newbert was born in Waldoboro, Maine on November 15, 1861 and was educated in the Waldoboro and Union, Maine public schools.[1] He graduated from the Bangor Theological Seminary in 1890 and took special courses at Bowdoin College and Harvard College. He was ordanined by the Unitarian Church on October 25, 1892.[2] He was the pastor of the All Souls Church in Augusta[3] for eleven years.[1] In 1903, he was sent by the American Unitarian Association to establish a church in Indianapolis. He chose the name All Souls' Unitarian Church and held the first service on May 3, 1903.[4] He retired from the ministry in 1906 and returned to Augusta, where he became involved in business and politics.[1] In 1915, he entered the real estate busniess.[3]

Politics

[edit]

Newbert was a member of the Augusta school board and city council. In 1907, he became Augusta's city clerk. He was a member of the Maine House of Representatives during the 73rd Legislature (1907) and was elected to fill a vacancy in the special session of 75th Legislature (1912). He was elected again in 1912 and was an unsuccessful candidate for speaker of the House that session.[1] He served as the Democratic floor leader in 1913.[3]

In 1913, Newbert defeated Republican Willis E. Swift by 49 votes to become mayor of Augusta.[5] The two faced off again in 1914, and Newbert was once again victorious, beating Swift 1,437 votes to 1,316.[6] Newbert was a candidate in the 1914 Maine gubernatorial election, finishing second in the Democratic primary to Oakley C. Curtis.[7]

In 1915, Newbert was the Democratic nominee for state treasurer. As no party held a majority of seats in the Maine Legislature, the race became deadlocked. This changed when the House voted to accept a majorty report of the committee on elections and unseat Republican Levite V. Thibodeau in favor of Fortunat W. Michaud, a Democrat.[8] On the seventh ballot, Newbert was elected over Republican incumbent Joseph W. Simpson by six votes.[9] In 1916, he traveled to Nebraska to speak against Prohibition, stating that the Maine law had failed.[10] The Republican Party retook the legislature in 1916 and returned Simpson to office.[11]

In 1918, Newbert was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate seat held by Republican Bert M. Fernald, who won a special election in 1916 to fill the unexpired term of Edwin C. Burleigh. The Democrats centered their campaign on the actions of Republican Governor Carl Milliken and the argument that voters should support the wartime efforts of President Woodrow Wilson. Republicans swept the elections, reelecting Fernald and Milliken and winning all four of the state's seats in the United States House of Representatives.[12]

Newbert continued to be involved in politics after his failed Senate run. He was an active member of the Democratic Party[3] and opposed the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which granted women's suffrage in the United States.[13]

Later life

[edit]

In 1924, he became president of the Augusta Water District. He also served as a director of the First National Bank and continued to be involved in real estate. He died from a heart attack on March 20, 1939.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Newbert For Speaker". The Lewiston Daily Sun. September 13, 1912. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  2. ^ Bangor Theological Seminary Historical Catalogue, 1814-1901 (PDF). p. 135. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Elmer E. Newbert Dies In Augusta". Lewiston Evening Journal. March 21, 1939. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  4. ^ "All Souls' Unitarian Church". The Indianapolis Journal. May 1, 1903. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  5. ^ "Notes On National Politics". Boston Evening Transcript. March 20, 1913. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  6. ^ Maine Register Or State Year-book and Legislative Manual. J.B. Gregory. 1914. p. 536. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Portland's Mayor Nominated For Governor". The Paterson Press. June 16, 1914. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  8. ^ "House Unseats Thibodeau But Allows Clement To Stay". The Lewiston Daily Sun. January 11, 1915. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  9. ^ "Democrats Win". The Meriden Daily Journal. January 15, 1915. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  10. ^ "E. E. Newbert Talks For Local Option In Nebraska Campaign". Lewiston Evening Journal. November 4, 1916. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Hon. Jos. W. Simpson A Son Of York County Is State Treasurer". Biddeford Weekly Journal. January 5, 1917. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Republicans Win Maine Election". The New York Times. September 10, 1918.
  13. ^ Harper, Ida Husted, ed. (1922). History of Woman Suffrage. National American Woman Suffrage Association. Retrieved 10 November 2025.