Neal Dow

Neal Dow was a 19th-century American reformer and politician known as the "Father of Prohibition." He championed the movement to ban alcohol, believing it caused social problems like crime and family issues. As mayor of Portland, Maine, he helped pass one of the first statewide prohibitions in 1851. His efforts laid the groundwork for national alcohol restrictions, leading to the 18th Amendment in 1919. Dow combined activism, political leadership, and moral arguments to push for alcohol bans, significantly influencing the temperance movement in the United States.