Neal Dow

Neal Dow
Mayor of Portland, Maine
In office April 24, 1855 – April 24, 1856
Preceded by	John B. Cahoon
Succeeded by	J. T. McCobb
In office April 24, 1851 – April 24, 1852
Preceded by	John B. Cahoon
Succeeded by	Albion Parris
Personal details
Born	(1804-03-20)March 20, 1804 Portland, Maine, U.S.
Died	October 2, 1897(1897-10-02) (aged 93) Portland, Maine, U.S.
Political party	Whig, Free Soil, Republican, Prohibition
Spouse	Maria Cornelia Durant Maynard Dow
Profession	Politician
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1861–64
Rank	Brigadier general
Commands	1st Brigade, 2nd Division of the XIX Corps
Battles/wars	American Civil War Siege of Port Hudson

Neal Dow (March 20, 1804 – October 2, 1897) was an American Prohibition advocate and politician. Nicknamed the "Napoleon of Temperance" and the "Father of Prohibition", Dow was born to a Quaker family in Portland, Maine. From a young age, he believed alcohol to be the cause of many of society's problems and wanted to ban it through legislation. In 1850, Dow was elected president of the Maine Temperance Union, and the next year he was elected mayor of Portland. Soon after, largely due to Dow's efforts, the state legislature banned the sale and production of alcohol in what became known as the Maine law. Serving twice as mayor of Portland, Dow enforced the law with vigor and called for increasingly harsh penalties for violators. In 1855, his opponents rioted and he ordered the state militia to fire on the crowd. One man was killed and several wounded, and when public reaction to the violence turned against Dow, he chose not to seek reelection.

Dow was later elected to two terms in the Maine House of Representatives, but retired after a financial scandal. He joined the Union Army shortly after the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, eventually attaining the rank of brigadier general. He was wounded at the siege of Port Hudson and later captured. After being exchanged for another officer in 1864, Dow resigned from the military and devoted himself once more to prohibition. He spoke across the United States, Canada, and Great Britain in support of the cause. In 1880, Dow headed the Prohibition Party ticket for President of the United States. After losing the election, he continued to write and speak on behalf of the prohibition movement for the rest of his life until his death in Portland at the age of 93.