Willey, Austin, 1806-1896

Austin Willey, born on June 24, 1806 in Campton, New Hampshire, attended Pembroke Academy and graduated (1837) from Bangor Theological Seminary (1837). He edited several Maine antislavery and free soil newspapers (1839-ca. 1856): Advocate of Freedom, Liberty Standard, and Portland Inquirer. He also was an early advocate of prohibition and worked to enact the passage (1851) of Maine's prohibition law. To improve his health, Willey moved (1857) to Northfield (Rice County, Minn.), where he continued his antislavery and prohibition advocacy as a lecturer and author. He died in 1896.

From the description of Austin Willey papers, 1827-1896. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 313848945