Alton E. (Chuck) Cianchette (1930 – January 18, 2000) was an American businessperson and politician from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. Cianchette was born in Pittsfield as the youngest of seven children. He graduated from Maine Central Institute. He died on January 18, 2000, when his single-engine 1948 Cessna crashed in rural eastern

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

en route from Maine to his winter home in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

from central Maine, Cianchette resided in both

Pittsfield, Maine Pittsfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,908 at the 2020 census. Pittsfield is home to the Maine Central Institute, a semi-private boarding school, and the annual Central Maine Egg Festival. History ...

, and

Palmyra, Maine Palmyra is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,924 at the 2020 census. History Palmyra was incorporated in 1807. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which ...

, during his 4 terms in the

Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution ...

. Cianchette was first elected in 1972 while residing in Pittsfield. Re-elected two years later, Cianchette did not seek public office again until 1992, when he had moved to Palmyra. He ran in 1992 as part of a bipartisan campaign he spearheaded to get more business managers elected to the

Maine Legislature The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. The Legislature convenes at the State House in Aug ...

. After raising an unprecedented $130,000 for his 1992 campaign, Cianchette was elected once again. Cianchette and fellow Democratic state senator Donald Esty, Jr. both were seeking the Senate Presidency if the Democrats maintained control of that body. Cianchette was reelected but the

Maine Republican Party The Maine Republican Party is an affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Maine. It was founded in Strong, Maine, on August 7, 1854. The party currently does not control the governor's office or either chamber of the Maine Legislature, ...

took control of the body following the 1994 general election and Jeffrey Butland was elected Senate President instead. Cianchette co-founded Cianbro Corporation in Pittsfield, Maine in 1949. Cianbro eventually became the largest construction company in the state. He also served as a trustee and philanthropist for

Maine Central Institute Maine Central Institute (MCI) is an independent high school in Pittsfield, Maine, United States that was established in 1866. The school enrolls approximately 430 students and is a nonsectarian institution. The school has both boarding and da ...

in Pittsfield. Working through the MCI board, Cianchette often donated his own money to renovate the campus. Cianchette was a radio operator stationed in Germany for 18 months during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. He participated in numerous community organizations including as the President of the

Pine Tree Council Scouting in Maine dates back to the creation of the Katahdin Area Council in 1920 and has continued prominently to the present day. Boy Scouts of America History Boy Scouting started early in Maine, with two local councils in operation by Fe ...

of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

, and as a Trustee for the Susan L. Curtis Foundation. He was awarded, along with his brother Ival R. 'Bud' Cianchette, the 1990 Business Leaders of Maine Award by the Maine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also served on the President's Council of the

Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapt ...

in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and was President of the Maine Pilots Association in 1976. In 1981 the Maine Pilots Association awarded him that association's Gaddis Cup Award. A hangar at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in

Tullahoma, Tennessee Tullahoma is a city in Coffee and Franklin counties in southern Middle Tennessee, United States. The population was 20,339 at the 2020 census. In 2019, the population was estimated to be 19,555. It is the principal city of the Tullahoma micropol ...

, is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cianchette, Alton 1930 births 2000 deaths Businesspeople from Maine Democratic Party Maine state senators People from Pittsfield, Maine People from Newport, Maine Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Accidental deaths in Kentucky 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2000