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= Neal Dow =

Birth and death:
March 20, 1804 ( 1804-03-20 ) ** -** October 2, 1897

Dow was the author of "The Maine Law," the toughest statute against the sale and consumption of spirits anywhere in the world. Dow was very much against the use of alcohol as he had the Maine Temperance Union discuss over the topic of whether wine should still be allowed—the Union was for getting rid of it all alcohal in the area. Dow then traveled the U.S. and Canada campaigning for prohibition laws. After his time as mayor of Portland where he pushed prohibition laws onto the people.

Dow as a boy volunteered as a firefighter to gain exemption from militia duty. He also worked at his fathers tanning buisness ,and he gained a local reputation when he persuaded his company to forego the customary liquor at their annual celebration. when he was in the army h made his regiment "take the pledge" which kept the men in his unit from drinking or attempted to. When he offered his service to the military he was made a colonol and constanly badgered General and Governor with hourly bulletins offering advice, suggestions and demands that read like the pompous effusions of a self-important pest, yet betray a genuine concern for his men. While in the Union army the siege of port hudson was his biggest role

Though during the war Dow was a strict leader he did keep his men ,or most of them, from getting even a drop of alcohal on their lips.He was known for his role in the civil war for his role in the Siege of Port Hudson (May 21 – July 9, 1863) in Louisiana. Dow commanded the 1st Brigade he was wounded shot in the shoulder and the leg. During the fight was captured by the confederates. he was realeased 8 months later and was forced to resign from the army because of his health. Though the seige was a success as the confederates surrendered the port.

Dow was known for his passionate, nagging, self-righteous letters that he wrote to goveners and generals in the army. These letters described his hatred for alcohal saying it was "unholy and unjust" and that "it causes men with good intention fall to the foolishness of the unjust.". His intent was just but the way he went abouy it got him many freinds, but also many enemys who didnt consider alcohal to be that bad. He became the leader of the Maine temperance union and pushed against alcohal. There is also his terms as mayor of Portland when he pushed his ideas onto the citizens using his political power.

The president could help his cause by acknowledging the bad side of alcohal. Though this wouldnt be the most popular thing. Though acknowledgement would help, but I think that just the president (Andrew Jackson) support of the cause would help more than anything else especialy one as popular a president with the people as Andrew Jackson would make more people pay attention to the cause against alcohal.

Dow was the Prohibition Party's candidate for President of the United States in the election of 1880 and came in fourth place, receiving 10,305 votes. The election was won by James A. Garfield of the Republican Party and Dow was surpassed by two other unsuccessful candidates. A couple years later he was diagnosed with illness that eventually caused his death. Dow died in Portland and is buried there in Evergreen Cemetery. Neal Dow Avenue in the Westerleigh section of New York City's borough of Staten Island and Neal Dow Elementary School in Chico, California are named after him.