Daniel Everett "Dan" Wathen (born November 4, 1939 in

Easton, Maine Easton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,320 at the 2020 census. History In 1851, the first known residence in the Easton wilderness was built by Henry Wilson, who had taught school in Presque Isle. When S ...

)Interview with Dan Wathen by Andrea L’Hommedieu
/ref> is a

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 ...

lawyer and politician. He was Chief Justice of the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

from March 1992 until October 2001, when he resigned to run for

Governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is Ja ...

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. At the time of his announcement, many pollsters and academics did not believe Wathen would factor into the 2002 gubernatorial election. He was replaced as Chief Justice by Leigh Saufley. Wathen is a native of Easton in

Aroostook County, Maine Aroostook County ( ; french: Comté d'Aroostook) is a county in the U.S. state of Maine along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,105. Its county seat is Houlton, with offices in Caribou and Fort Kent. Kno ...

. He graduated from

Ricker College Ricker College was a small college located in Houlton, Maine, Houlton, Maine, United States. It opened in and closed in . It began as Houlton Academy in 1848, before being subsequently renamed Ricker Classical Institute in 1887. It became Ricker ...

in Houlton and earned his law degree from the

University of Maine School of Law The University of Maine School of Law (UMaine Law or Maine Law) is public law school in Portland, Maine. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and Maine's only law school. It is also part of the University of Maine System. The school's ...

. He also holds a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

degree from the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

. As of 2010, Wathen oversaw court-ordered improvements in mental health services. Wathen testified before the Health and Human Services committee of 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 ...

that cuts to mental health services would be "illusory" and the proposed cuts would be spent elsewhere, such as in prison services for mentally ill people. Attorney General

Janet Mills Janet Trafton Mills (born December 30, 1947) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 75th governor of Maine since January 2019. She previously served as the Maine Attorney General on two occasions. A member of the Democratic Party ...

defended Governor

John Baldacci John Elias Baldacci (born January 30, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 73rd Governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. During hi ...

's plan to cut mental health services. As of 2011, Wathen was the Board Chairman of the

Maine Turnpike Authority Interstate 95 (I-95) in the US state of Maine is a highway running from the New Hampshire state line in Kittery, to the Canadian border in Houlton. It is the only two-digit Interstate Highway in Maine. In 2004, the highway's route between P ...

. Since 2002, he has served as Of Counsel for Pierce Atwood LLP, a law firm which has an office based in

Augusta, Maine Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County. The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Maine, and third-least populous state capital in the Un ...

.Pierce Atwood LLP profile
/ref> In April of 2013, Governor Paul R. LePage nominated him to serve as Co-Chair of the Maine Unemployment Investigation Commission.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wathen, Daniel 1939 births Living people People from Aroostook County, Maine Maine lawyers Ricker College alumni University of Maine School of Law alumni Chief Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court University of Virginia School of Law alumni