Esreff Hill Banks (1821-1903)

From the History of York County, Maine, 188o.

   Following on the heels of  Maine politician Oramandal Smith, today's profile takes us to York County, Maine, and Esreff Hill Banks, long a prominent figure in politics in that state. Elected to multiple terms in the Maine State House of Representatives, Banks would also serve in the Maine Senate and was a one-term Mayor of Biddeford. Elected as Maine State Treasurer in 1877, Banks later held the post of Postmaster of Biddeford, being appointed to that office by President Chester Arthur.
   Born on May 26, 1821, in Buxton, Maine, Esreff Hill Banks was the second child of four born to James and Ruth Merrill Banks. Young Esreff received his schooling at the Parsonfield Academy and later went west at age seventeen. He returned to Maine in 1843 and soon entered into a clerkship at a mercantile store in the town of Saco. He continued his employment there until 1845 and in November 1847 married Lucinda Atkinson, a native of Hollis, Maine. One child was born to the couple, a daughter named Adeline, who died in December 1858. 
    Banks entered into business in Biddeford in the late 1840s, establishing a mercantile firm/dry goods store with E.H.C. Hooper, whom he later bought out. A city councilman in Biddeford early in its existence, Banks was elected as Biddeford's representative to the Maine legislature in 1856 and was reelected the following year.
  Esreff Banks political profile continued to rise in 1860, when he was elected as Mayor of Biddeford, succeeding Johnathan Tuck, who had died a few days previously. Following his term as Mayor Banks held the post of Draft Commissioner for York County in 1863 and in the following year was elected to the Maine State Senate for the first of two terms. He would serve as a Republican presidential elector for Maine in 1868 and in March 1869 journeyed to Washington to attend the inauguration of Ulysses Grant.
   Throughout the 1870s Banks pursued various business interests, being a trustee of the York County Savings Bank and a director of the First National Bank of Biddeford, holding the latter post for fourteen years. Banks returned to local politics in 1874 when he served as York County Treasurer for two years and in 1876 won election as State Treasurer of Maine, a post he would hold from 1877-79.

A rare portrait of Esreff Banks, ca. 1860, from the Maine State Archives.

   Following his tenure as state treasurer Banks continued to be active in Maine public life, being appointed as U.S. Postmaster at Biddeford in 1883. He served in that capacity until 1885 and eight years later was named as chairman of the Board of Police Commissioners. He also continued with his earlier business interests, serving as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Biddeford and Saco Railway beginning in 1889. 
   Esreff Hill Banks died at age 82 on November 27, 1903, at the home of his niece. The cause of his demise was listed in his obituary (shown below) as heart disease, and he was preceded in death by his wife Lucinda, who is listed as dying a year before her husband. Both were interred at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco, Maine.

                   Bank's obituary appeared in the November 28, 1903 edition of the Lowell Sun.

Oramandal Smith (1842-1915)

  Following yesterday's profile on Pennsylvania native Wooda N. Carr, we journey further north to Maine and Ormandal Smith. This oddly named figure served in several public offices in his native state, including stints as clerk of the House, state representative, state insurance commissioner, state treasurer, and Secretary of State. A surprising amount of information on Mr. Smith can be found in the right places online, but one inconsistency that has arisen out of this is the spelling of his first name. Most sources list it as being spelled "Oramandal", while others give more variations, including "Oramandel", "Ormandel" and "Ormandal".
   Smith was born on December 2, 1842, in Aroostook County, Maine, the son of Daniel and Lucy Williams Smith. He received his education in the public school of Masardis, Maine, and after the death of his mother moved with his father to the town of Litchfield. After settling here, Smith began attending the Litchfield Academy and later studied at the Waterville Classical Institute. 
  After completing his education Smith became a principal in the Litchfield and Richmond school systems from 1864-1877. During this time Smith also worked at farming, and in 1870 was elected to his first political office, that of a Representative in the Maine State Legislature. In 1874 he was named as assistant clerk of the Maine State House of Representatives and continued in this post until 1876 when he was elected clerk. Smith's tenure as clerk of the House extended from 1876-78 and again from 1880-85. Earlier in 1875, Smith married Ms. Jennie Smith and it is unknown at this time if any children were born to them.
  During his last term as clerk Smith was named as Maine State Insurance Commissioner, serving in this post from 1883-1885. In the latter year, he was elected as Secretary of the State of Maine and served a total of three terms in this office, from 1885 to 1891. After his last term as Secretary in 1891, Smith began a lengthy tenure on the Maine Governor's Council. During his service (which concluded in 1902) he served in the administrations of 3 successive Republican Governors: Edwin C. Burleigh (1889-93), Henry Bradstreet Cleaves (1893-97), and Llewellyn Powers (1897-1901).

                                      This roster of Maine Treasurers was published in 1913.

   In 1901 Smith was elected as the State Treasurer of Maine, and like his previous tenure as Secretary of State served three terms in office. In addition to his numerous political activities, Smith was active in the civic affairs of his native town of Litchfield, serving as the chairman of the executive committee of his alma mater (the Litchfield Academy) for over 25 years. He also was a trustee of the Maine School for the Feeble Minded for an indeterminate period. Ormandal Smith died in Maine on May 21, 1915, and was presumably buried in his hometown of Litchfield. In a newspaper write-up concerning his estate, Smith left the sum of $5,000 to Bates College, and substantial sums to several other institutions in the Litchfield vicinity. He was subsequently memorialized by the Kennebec Journal as a "walking encyclopedia of Maine affairs", and:

"He was ever available and approachable to those seeking information. He loved the State's business and held no earthly affair more sacred. His wisdom was only equalled by his integrity and loyalty."

                             From the History of Litchfield and the Account of its Centennial Celebrations, 1897.

From the Kennebec Journal, May 24, 1915.