Legislature Celebrates Birthday of John Greenleaf Whittier

Honors work of those in Haverhill and Amesbury

Senator Steven A. Baddour and Representatives Brian Dempsey and Michael A. Costello co-sponsored a resolution commemorating Whittier’s life and the efforts of those who have worked to preserve his history for the Merrimack Valley.

“I am honored to represent the community of Amesbury where John Greenleaf Whittier spent much of his adult life and wrote some of his most famous works,” said Costello. “He is a man who helped shape the Commonwealth. As a Quaker, he was somebody who knew discrimination and worked hard to eliminate it.”

“This is a very significant event for us to have Whittier’s birthday anniversary marked in the annals of Massachusetts by both the House and the Senate,” said Janet Howell, President of the Whittier Home Association. “He was first and foremost a master politician. He wasn’t always on the front lines but he was very often behind the scenes.”

John Greenleaf Whittier was a passionate abolitionist dedicated to social reform, as well as a celebrated poet. Born December 17, 1807 in Haverhill, Whittier was raised as a Quaker and fiercely opposed slavery all his life. An active member of the Whig party, Whittier served one term as the State Representative of Haverhill, one of the 615 Representatives who served in 1835. The John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead of Haverhill was his residence from the time of his birth until 1836, when he moved the family to Amesbury. Whittier's most famous poem, "Snowbound", was written in the Whittier Home of Amesbury.

John Greenleaf Whittier passed away at Hampton Falls, New Hampshire on September 7, 1892. He is buried in Amesbury. Whittier's legacy as a powerful abolitionist and Quaker poet has been preserved by the Trustees of the John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead of Haverhill and the Whittier Home Association of Amesbury. Members of those groups witnessed some of Whittier’s history first hand on Tuesday. The Merrimack Valley legislators took them to the Senate Chambers – formerly the House Chambers – where Whittier once deliberated as Haverhill’s State Representative. The groups also received a tour of the House Chamber, where Whittier’s name is inscribed on the frieze as one of 53 men who helped shape the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Both the Whittier Homestead and the Whittier House are celebrating National Tourism Week, which runs until May 22. Visitors from across Massachusetts can see where Whittier grew up and spent his adult years writing. On Sunday, May 20, admittance to the Whittier Home in Amesbury will be free as the town also celebrates Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown, which is sponsored by the Amesbury Alliance.