Rufus King GOODENOW, Congress, ME (1790-1863)

GOODENOW, Rufus King, (brother of Robert Goodenow), a Representative from Maine; born in Henniker, Merrimack County, N.H., April 24, 1790; moved with his parents to Brownfield, Maine, in 1802; received a limited schooling; engaged in agricultural pursuits; also followed the sea, having made several voyages to European ports; served as a captain in the Thirty-third Regiment, United States Infantry, in the War of 1812; moved to Paris, Maine, in 1821; clerk of the Oxford County Courts 1821-1837; member of the State house of representatives in 1837 and 1838; delegate to the Whig National Convention at Harrisburg, Pa., in 1839; studied law; was admitted to the bar and practiced in the courts of Maine; elected as a Whig to the Thirty-first Congress (March 4, 1849-March 3, 1851); died in Paris, Maine, March 24, 1863; interment in Riverside Cemetery, South Paris, Maine.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present