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buddawigg... buddawigg...
 
M$1 July 27, 2009 02:23 PM

In regard to Maine politics, what is the ''Oxford Bear"?

What is the story behind this "Oxford Bear"?
Where did this symbol come from and what ideals did it represent?
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Interesting: bunnyphuphu, ghanan20003000

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albanian albanian
 
 July 28, 2009 03:01 PM
Here is a reference, a ticket from 1883. An 1899 book remarks that it came from Oxford County being the best known in Maine for actual bears. Any resident or voter from the county is (or at least was in the 19th century) likely to identify themselves as an Oxford Bear, and many institutions (like local lodges) were so named. Politically, they seem to have been old school Republicans, very independent minded. Maine Republicans are independent minded to this day (although Senator Snowe is from another county). The most famous politician from Oxford county was Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) who was Vice President during Abraham Lincoln's first term and held numerous other posts.

Source(s):
http://books.google.com/books?id=NyPVeB__SwQC&pg=PA531&lpg=PA531&am...="oxford+bear"+"oxford+county"&source=bl&ots=kVBEuSNJo0&sig
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal_Hamlin
http://snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutSenatorSnowe.Biogr...
http://www.privateline.com/mt_telephonehistory/iv_the_telephone_evolves/07_...

Asker's Rating:
• I can always count on a great answer from you, thanks!


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beau_brown beau_brown
 
July 27, 2009 03:29 PM
It's good to see a few questions about my state around here! As for the "Oxford Bear," I'm not all too sure about what that is. I'm sure my Great Grandfather would know, as he was the supreme court judge here for about fifty years. However, I found a documentary on it online which you can check out! It's about an hour long, and I'm sure the answer is in there.

http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/educational/watch/v144837178YQ47fMr

I'm sorry I couldn't be more direct, but I hope that I've helped you a little bit.

Kind Regards,
- Beau Brown

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cordeliale... cordeliale...
 
July 27, 2009 04:58 PM
I found this New York Times article from 1906 that uses the term "Oxford bear." According to the article, it sounds like an Oxford bear is a strong, tough man who grew up in Oxford County, Maine.

Below, you'll find the link to the article--just click View Full Article to see the entire piece in PDF form. The section about Oxford bears is on the left column all the way down. Beyond that explicitly-worded sentence, there's enough description about former Senate Leader Hale to figure out what an Oxford bear is from context.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E0DE2DA143DE733A2575BC0A9679C946797D6CF

Hope that helps!
Source(s):
New York Times, 1906: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E0DE2DA143DE733A2575BC0A967...


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