Maine's history of principled politicians in the U.S. Senate
I am still relatively new to Maine, but I have been struck by the stalwarts the Pine State has elected to the U.S. Senate.
Edmund Muskie, a Rumford native who served the Senate from 1959-80, authored the Clean Water Act, was Hubert H. Humphrey's running mate in the 1968 presidential election and was Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter.
William Hathaway, one of only two U.S. senators in recent history to come “from away” (in this case Cambridge, Mass.), served from 1973-79, a relatively short tenure by Maine standards. He may be best remembered for opposing the nomination of Gerald Ford to be vice president.
William S. Cohen, a Bangor native, was a senator from 1979-97 and later served as Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton.
George Mitchell, a Waterville native who was in the Senate from 1980-95, fought for the Clean Air Act, was active in brokering peace deals in Northern Ireland and the Middle East.
Olympia Snowe, who was born in Augusta and served in the Senate from 1995-2013, resisted partisan battles, often taking criticism for it from each side. Retired now, she continues to work to smooth out partisan bickering.
Susan Collins, who was born in Caribou and has been in the Senate since 1997, has been a strong advocate for Bath Iron Works. She is also up for re-election.
Angus King, the second one in this group who is not from Maine (he's a Virginia native), is still considered a junior Senator but of course served two terms as governor — and in total has been elected three times as an independent.
But we should really look back to Margaret Chase Smith, a Skowhegan native who served as senator from 1949-73. She was the first woman to represent Maine in the Senate. In Washington, she stood up to Sen. Joe McCarthy.
Even living out of state I was always struck by Maine politicians. But recently I was at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, where William Haggett, who was profiled recently in Mainebiz, was honored with the Mariner's Award for his leadership at BIW.
He told a telling anecdote about when he was a rising leader at BIW. It was 1966 and he was 32 years old. He was dispatched to Washington to meet with Margaret Chase Smith, by then a senior senator, who would have been in her late 60s.
Haggett described going into her office: She sat behind a huge desk. She looked very stern. She did not make small talk.
“Someone at Bath Iron Works must think very highly of you to have sent you down here,” she told him.
“I have two rules” she continued. “Never lie to me. And never mislead me,” Haggett recalled her saying.
That was it. She sent him home.
And that speaks oceans about Maine and its long line of principled senators.
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