Edward muskie biography

When asked by a reporter during the campaign why he was a Democrat in Maine, he wryly replied, "Well if I lived down South I'd probably be a Republican. Somebody has to do it. Muskie was the surprise winner in the legislative race, served three terms in the state legislature, and in became Maine's first Democratic governor in 20 years and only the second in the century.

Muskie's personal popularity helped reestablish the Democratic Party as a force in Maine politics. His promotion of economic development, fiscal conservatism, and cooperation with the Republican-dominated state legislature appealed to the state's voters, many of whom split their tickets to become "Muskie Republicans. Senate in nearly a century, other Democrats were elected governor and to the U.

Congress in two of Maine's three congressional districts. Muskie was reelected to the Senate in, and Senator Muskie soon developed a reputation as an expert in writing and enacting legislation. His edward muskie biography to modify proposals to gain bipartisan support, a skill acquired during his years as Maine's governor, made Muskie one of the most effective and respected members of the Senate.

As chairman of the Housing Subcommittee of the Senate Banking and Currency Committee, Muskie was responsible for much of the national legislation associated with urban affairs, including creation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in and the Model Cities Act of Muskie was an ardent defender of the environment, a concern reflected in ten major bills he sponsored between and Muskie was a key supporter of the Environmental Protection Agencyestablished in Muskie's legislative successes also included the Securities Investor Protection Act, which insured investors against brokerage house failures, and the Truth-in-Government Act, which created an independent board authorized to make available to the public government documents which did not compromise national security.

The act clearly defined presidential and congressional authority in war-making decisions. Muskie-supported increases in social security benefits, continued federal aid to education, civil rights measures, a national draft lottery, and the vote for year-olds. Although an early supporter of American involvement in the Vietnam Warby he had become one of its leading critics.

Although Edmund Muskie officially campaigned for the presidency only once—in —the Maine senator was promoted for national office as early as Muskie was already known among Democratic Party activists outside Maine because of his election victories through the s in an overwhelmingly Republican state. His Polish ancestry, once considered a liability in Maine, made him a popular lecture circuit speaker among ethnic groups and with Democratic candidates in large, vote-rich, Northeastern states such as New YorkPennsylvania, Ohio, and Massachusetts.

In Muskie was briefly mentioned as a possible vice-presidential candidate. In President Lyndon Johnson fueled speculation that Muskie might be his vice-presidential choice until he selected Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey. Finally, inVice-President Humphrey, the Democratic presidential nominee, selected Muskie as his running mate.

Muskie was famous for this response during the campaign: "In Maine, we have a saying that you don't say anything that doesn't improve on silence. On January 4,Edmund S. Muskie officially announced his candidacy for the presidency. As the party's acknowledged frontrunner, his staff had become overconfident and conducted a vague and cautious campaign.

But Muskie was also the victim of the Nixon administration's "dirty tricks" campaign which attempted to discredit his presidential bid by distributing phony Muskie press releases and campaign literature, heckling the senator's speeches, and disrupting campaign communications. Muskie did not react well to Nixon's "dirty tricks. Reporters on the scene maintained that Muskie was crying, although he always denied this—claiming that snowflakes gave the appearance of tears.

He was out of the race by April. Muskie later said that that incident "changed people's minds about me, about what kind of guy I was. They were looking for a strong, steady man, and there I was, weak. Muskie did not again campaign for national office. However, he remained one of the Democratic Party spokesmen and in was considered a possible vice-presidential running mate for Democratic presidential nominee Jimmy Carter.

In Edmund S. Muskie resigned his U. Senate seat to become secretary of state in the Carter administration, where he worked to negotiate the release of 52 American hostages held 14 months in Teheran, Iran. Muskie retired from public life in and returned to Maine. He was called back to public service in by President Reagan to serve on a three-man committee charged with investigating the role of the Reagan administration in the Iran-Contra scandal.

When the report came out init was highly critical of President Reagan. After he retired from political life, Muskie practiced law, dividing his time between Washington D. On March 26,Edward Muskie died of a heart attack. In reaction, President Clinton said that Muskie was "a dedicated legislator and a caring public servant. Muskie by Theo Lippman, Jr.

Muskie was the second of six children born to Stephen Muskie, a tailor, and Josephine Czarnecka Muskie, a homemaker, in Rumford, a mill town in western Maine. Like other Maine communities, Rumford was dominated by a paper factory Oxford Paper Companywhich fouled the air with smoke and the local water source with industrial pollutants.

Growing up, Muskie could hardly have been oblivious to these environmental abuses or to the town's dependence on the paper mill as its chief employer. A shy youngster, Muskie became an avid reader, a practice encouraged by his Polish-born father, who had taught himself to read and write English. His father's intense interest in contemporary politics also impressed his son, who later explained that he was prepared to run for the Maine legislature in part "because of my father's general interest in public affairs.

He graduated in edward muskie biography a B. In he joined the U. He was discharged inand in he married Jane Gray, with whom he would have five children. Right after the wedding, the next day, we came to Rumford, Maine. That was supposed to be our honeymoon. Professor Brooks Quimby, who led the Bates debate team to national prominence, helped recruit Muskie to Bates and served as an early mentor.

As Muskie biographer David Nevin wrote:. The footing that Quimby gave Muskie in debate … had many effects on him, but one of the clearest was that it gave him a structured form in which to escape shyness … The rules of debate forced him into channels with the rest of the contestants, and once he was moving, his quick mind and his developing ability to cut to the heart of an argument were free to rove across the problem and bring up his capacities.

Muskie began college at one of the lowest points of the Great Depression, a fact that nearly ended his Bates education after the first year.

Edward muskie biography: Edmund Muskie was an American Democratic

In addition to his earnings from on-campus employment as a waiter in Commons and summer employment at the Narragansett-by-the-Sea resort in Kennebunk, this seemingly small amount enabled him to continue his college studies. Cornell Law Schoolacting through Bates President Clifton Gray, offered Edmund Muskie a scholarship to attend based on the success that previous Bates graduates had there.

This was despite the fact that he had not applied, nor even expressed a desire to pursue a legal profession. Muskie accepted the offer, but at the end of the first year of classes, he again found his education imperiled by financial crisis. Muskie learned of William Bingham II, a wealthy man who supported Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine and assisted students who needed financial help to continue school.

Muskie wrote to Bingham, and within a few days had an interview with Dr. Muskie joined the Navy insoon after the U. Farnsworth enclosing the first note canceled. In the Navy, Muskie was trained as a diesel engineer and attained the rank of Lieutenant. Edmund S. Muskie, Democratic Senator from Maine. Grossman Publishing. Baldwin, Samuel J. The Legacy of U.

Senator Edmund Muskie. Maine Law Review. Blomquist, Robert F. Valparaiso University School of Law. Hirshon, Robert E. King, Angus. Ed Muskie's Centennial Birthday". Senator Angus S. Lippmann, Theo; Hansen Donald C. Mitchell George J. Cornell Law Review. Cornell University Press.

Edward muskie biography: Edmund Sixtus Muskie served

Witherell, James L. Tilbury House Publishers. Primary sources [ edit ]. External links [ edit ]. James Oliver. Clinton Clauson. Roger Dube.

Edward muskie biography: Edmund Sixtus Muskie was an American

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Edward muskie biography: Edmund Sixtus Muskie (March 28,

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Candidates: Gabriel Green. Cabinet of President Jimmy Carter — Walter Mondale — Cyrus Vance — Edmund Muskie — Michael Blumenthal — G. William Miller — Harold Brown — Griffin Bell — Benjamin Civiletti — Cecil Andrus — Robert Bergland — Juanita M. Kreps — Philip Klutznick — Ray Marshall — Joseph A. Califano Jr. Patricia Roberts Harris — Patricia Roberts Harris — Moon Landrieu — Brock Adams — Neil Goldschmidt — James R.

Schlesinger — Charles Duncan Jr. Shirley Hufstedler — Bert Lance James T. McIntyre — Robert S. Strauss — Reubin Askew — Andrew Young — Donald McHenry — Zbigniew Brzezinski — Charles Schultze — Senator from Minnesota —, — Primary documentary Hubert H. Humphrey Building. Authority control databases. US Congress. Toggle the table of contents.

Edmund Muskie. In office May 8, — January 18, Warren Christopher. In edward muskie biography January 3, — May 7, In office January 3, — May 8, In office January 3, — January 3, In office January 5, — January 2, In office December 5, — November 2, March 26, aged 81 Washington, D. Arlington National Cemetery. United States Navy. Naval Reserve. Preceded by James Oliver.

Democratic nominee for Governor of Maine Succeeded by Clinton Clauson. Preceded by Roger Dube. Democratic nominee for U. Muskie resided in Washington D. In the nine months Muskie served as Secretary of State, he conducted the first high-level meeting with the Soviet government after its December invasion of Afghanistan. During these negotiations, Secretary Muskie unsuccessfully attempted to secure the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan.