Files
Download Full Text (1.1 MB)
Description
When Ralph Owen Brewster was narrowly defeated in the 1924 Republican gubernatorial primary (initially) and 1932 congressional election, he attempted to have votes from the towns and plantations on the St. John River thrown out on various pretexts. Brewster, a populist who had opposed power company interests as governor, alleged in 1932 that these interests had conspired to defeat him by arranging illegitimate votes in the Francophone border region. Investigation of voting trends, however, shows that the vote against Brewster was likely the result of more routine political partisanship, as well as a rejection of his Ku Klux Klan support and anti-Catholic policies.
Tyler Wolanin's article originally appeared in Maine History's 57th volume, issue 1. The original issue in full can be found at this link: https://www.mainehistory.org/research-collections/publications/.
Publication Date
Winter 2025
City
Madawaska
State
Maine
Keywords
Franco-Americans, Madawaska, Politics
Media Type
Original
Recommended Citation
Wolanin, Tyler, "Madawaska Ballots: Ralph Owen Brewster's Contested Elections in the St. John Valley" (2025). Original Research. 8.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/fac-original-research/8
Language
English
