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Stevens, John (1820 - 1895)

Genre: Non-Fiction

Minister and author John Leavitt Stevens was born in Mount Vernon and lived most of his life in Augusta, ME. He attended Maine Wesleyan Seminary preparing for a career as a Universalist minister as which he served for ten years, becoming a leader in the anti-slavery movement. He left the ministry for a career in newspaper publishing and politics. He partnered with James G. Blaine in purchasing and editing the Kennebec Journal and developing the Republican Party in Maine. He moved into a diplomatic career as a member of the Department of State serving in Paraguay, Uruguay, Sweden and Norway, then finally to Hawai'i. During his tenure in Hawai'i, he was instrumental in an illegal attempt to overthrow Queen Lili'uokalani and her government and an attempt to annex Hawaii as a U. S. Territory in 1893. Stevens resigned his office, was forced into retirement and returned to Maine.