A Capital Man
Joseph Jenkins Eveleth was born in 1805 at Augusta, Maine. He was the son of John Eveleth and Sarah Hale. The Eveleths were considered one of Kennebec Valley’s “choicest” families. Growing up in Augusta, Eveleth was likely acquainted with his future classmates Horatio Bridge and Edward Joseph Vose. While attending high school at Hallowell Academy, Eveleth also met George Barrell Cheever.
Eveleth matriculated at Bowdoin in 1821 at the age of fifteen. He spent his first year boarding with John S. C. Abbott at his older brother’s home, along with George Washington Lane, John Odlin Page, and William Stone. Sophomore year Abbott and Eveleth moved to Mr. J. Grows’, where they lived alongside Richmond Bradford, Cyrus Hamlin Coolidge and George Barrell Cheever, who was Eveleth’s roommate. Junior and senior years, Eveleth lived with Thomas Ayer, first in Maine Hall and then in Winthrop. Eveleth was a member of the Peucinian Society. Except for a few skipped declamations during his sophomore year, Eveleth rarely got in trouble at the college. Instead, he likely spent most of his time focusing on his studies. His hard work earned him a spot at both Class Exhibitions of 1824. In May, Eveleth, Vose, and Nathaniel Dunn gave a Conference on “The pleasure resulting from the investigation of moral truth and from the study of the works of art and nature.” In October, Eveleth gave a dissertation about “The Instability of National Greatness.” Eveleth was also one of the speakers at Bowdoin’s graduation, since he was ranked eleventh in the class. He gave a eulogy for Casimir Pulaski, a Polish count who fought in the Revolutionary War. The eulogy struck a chord with its audience, as it is cited in nearly every recounting of Eveleth’s life.
After leaving Bowdoin, Eveleth first tried to pursue a career in law. He studied under an Augusta judge and then moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, to attend a law school there. Passing the bar exam in 1829, Eveleth moved to Woodville, Mississippi, to open a law practice. Eveleth spent seven years as an attorney in the deep south before returning to Augusta. He returned because his parents were aging and needed someone to care for them. However, the move forced Eveleth to abandon his promising legal career. Instead, he took a job as a cashier at an Augusta Bank. He spent the next twenty years working at different banks throughout Augusta. In his later years he also worked for the Kennebec Land and Lumber Company.
Though Eveleth’s professional achievements were notable, he is mostly remembered for his role in the Augusta community. From 1839 to 1849, Eveleth served as the city’s treasurer and the moderator of annual meetings. He also spent two terms as Augusta’s mayor in 1871 and 1872. But, Eveleth invested his time in more than just the capital’s governance. He was a committed member of the Congregational Church and directed its choir for over twenty years. He was also a bit of a philanthropist and was known to care for the area’s orphans and widows. Since Eveleth never married or had children of his own, there may have been a personal dimension to this interest. When he wasn’t working at the bank, the town hall, or the church, Eveleth was travelling. He made four extensive tours of Europe, two of which he undertook when he was in his 80’s. By all accounts, he was an exceptionally healthy in his old age. Visiting Eveleth in 1875, classmate David Shepley remarked that he “appeared as almost youthful. He could have pronounced in ‘75 as gracefully as ‘25 his eulogy on Pulaski.” Eveleth passed away in 1889 from paralysis. He was 86, but he managed to outlive all but four of his 1825 classmates. His passing was lamented by many in his Augusta community.