Edmund Sixtus Muskie (March 28, 1914March 26, 1996) was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 58th
United States Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
under President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
, a
United States Senator from Maine from 1959 to 1980, the 64th
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 J ...
from 1955 to 1959, and a member of the
Maine House of Representatives from 1946 to 1951. He was the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
's candidate for Vice President of the United States in the
1968 presidential election.
Born in
Rumford, Maine, he worked as a lawyer for two years before serving in the
United States Naval Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...
from 1942 to 1945 during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Upon his return, Muskie served in the
Maine State 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 ...
from 1946 to 1951, and unsuccessfully ran for mayor of
Waterville. Muskie was elected the 64th Governor of Maine in 1954 under a reform platform as the first
Maine Democratic Party
The Maine Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Maine.
After the Civil War, Democrats were a minor player in a political scene dominated by the Republican Party. However, during the 1950s, Edmund Muskie ...
governor in almost 100 years. Muskie pressed for economic expansionism and instated environmental provisions. Muskie's actions severed a nearly
100-year Republican stronghold and led to the political insurgency of the Maine Democrats.
His legislative work during
his career as a Senator coincided with an expansion of
modern liberalism in the United States
Modern liberalism in the United States, often simply referred to in the United States as liberalism, is a form of social liberalism found in American politics. It combines ideas of civil liberty and equality with support for social justice an ...
. He promoted the
1960s environmental movement which led to the passage of the
Clean Air Act of 1970
The Clean Air Act (CAA) is the United States' primary federal air quality law, intended to reduce and control air pollution nationwide. Initially enacted in 1963 and amended many times since, it is one of the United States' first and most inf ...
and the
Clean Water Act of 1972
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the responsibiliti ...
. Muskie supported the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, the creation of
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Mond ...
, and opposed
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
's "
Imperial Presidency
Imperial presidency is a term applied to the modern presidency of the United States. It became popular in the 1960s and served as the title of a 1973 book by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., who wrote ''The Imperial Presidency'' to addres ...
" by advancing
New Federalism. Muskie ran with Vice President
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...
against Nixon in the 1968 presidential election, losing the popular vote by 0.7 percentage points—one of the
narrowest margins in U.S. history. He would go on to run in the
1972 presidential election where he secured 1.84 million votes in
the primaries coming in fourth out of 15 contesters. The release of the forged "
Canuck letter
The Canuck letter was a forged letter to the editor of the '' Manchester Union Leader'', published February 24, 1972, two weeks before the New Hampshire primary of the 1972 United States presidential election. It implied that Senator Edmund Muski ...
" derailed his campaign and sullied his public image with
Americans of French-Canadian descent.
After the election, he returned to the Senate where he gave the 1976
State of the Union Response. Muskie served as first chairman of the new
Senate Budget Committee
The United States Senate Committee on the Budget was established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. It is responsible for drafting Congress's annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the Federal G ...
from 1975 to 1980 where he established the
United States budget process
The United States budget process is the framework used by Congress and the President of the United States to formulate and create the United States federal budget. The process was established by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, the Congressi ...
. Upon his retirement from the Senate, he became the 58th U.S. Secretary of State under President Carter. His tenure as Secretary of State was one of the shortest in modern history. His department negotiated the
release of 52 Americans, thus concluding the
Iran hostage crisis
On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over ...
. He was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
by Carter in 1981 and has been honored with
a public holiday in Maine since 1987.
Early life and education
Edmund Sixtus Muskie was born on Saturday, March 28, 1914 in
Rumford, Maine.
He was born after his parents' first child, Irene (born 1912), and before his brother Eugene (born 1918) and three sisters, Lucy (born 1916), Elizabeth (born 1923), and Frances (born 1921).
[Witherell (2014), p. 4] His father, Stephen Marciszewski, was born and raised in
Jasionówka,
Russian Poland
Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...
[ampoleagle.com/ann-mikoll-a-trailblazer-p10493-226.htm "Stephen Marciszewski, came to Buffalo in the early 1900s after leaving his birthplace in Jasionewka, Poland. That part of Poland was occupied by Russia, and Stephen's father sent him away so that he wouldn't be conscripted into the Russian Army."] and worked as an estate manager for minor
Russian nobility
The Russian nobility (russian: дворянство ''dvoryanstvo'') originated in the 14th century. In 1914 it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members (about 1.1% of the population) in the Russian Empire.
Up until the February Revolutio ...
. He immigrated to America in 1903 and changed his name to Muskie from "Marciszewski" in 1914. He worked as a
master tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
and Muskie's mother, Josephine (
née Czarnecka) worked as a
housewife
A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying an ...
. She was born to a
Polish-American
Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.83% ...
family in
Buffalo, New York. Muskie's parents married in 1911, and Josephine moved to Rumford soon after.
Muskie's first language was
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
; he spoke it as his only language until age 4. He began learning English soon after and eventually lost fluency in his mother language. In his youth he was an avid fisherman, hunter, and swimmer.
He felt as though his given name was "odd" so he went by Ed throughout his life. Muskie was shy and anxious in his early life but maintained a sizable number of friends.
Muskie attended Stephens High School, where he played baseball, participated in the performing arts, and was elected student body president in his senior year. He would go on to graduate in 1932 at the top of his class as
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
.
A 1931 edition of the school's newspaper noted him with the following: "when you see a head and shoulders towering over you in the halls of Stephen's, you should know that your eyes are feasting on the future President of the United States."
Influenced by the political excitement of
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's election to the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
, he attended
Bates College
Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...
in
Lewiston, Maine.
While at college, Muskie was a successful member of the
debating
Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...
team, participated in several sports, and was elected to
student government.
Although he received a small scholarship and
New Deal subsidies, he had to work during the summers as a dishwasher and
bellhop at a hotel in
Kennebunk to finance his time at Bates. He would record in his diaries occasional feelings of insecurity among his wealthier Bates peers; Muskie was fearful of being kicked out of the college as a consequence of his
socioeconomic status. His situation would gradually improve and he went on to graduate in 1936 as class president and a member of
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
.
Initially intending to major in mathematics he switched to a double major in history and government.
Upon his graduation, he was given a partial merit-based scholarship to
Cornell Law School. After his second semester there, his scholarship ran out. As he was preparing to drop out, he heard of an "eccentric millionaire" named William Bingham II who had a habit of randomly and sporadically paying the university costs, mortgages, car loans, and other expenses of those who wrote to him. After Muskie wrote to him about his immigrant origins he secured $900 from the man allowing him to finance his final years at Cornell. While in law school he was elected to
Phi Alpha Delta
Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International ( or P.A.D.) is the largest professional law fraternity in the United States. Founded in 1902, P.A.D. has since grown to 717 established pre-law, law, and alumni chapters and over 330,000 initiated m ...
and went on to graduate ''
cum laude'', in 1939.
Upon graduating from Cornell, Muskie was admitted to the
Massachusetts Bar in 1939.
He then worked as a high school substitute teacher while he was studying for the Maine Bar examination; he passed in 1940. Muskie moved to
Waterville and purchased a small law practice—renamed "Muskie & Glover"—for $2,000 in March 1940. He helped write Waterville's first zoning ordinance and was elected secretary of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Marriage and children
Jane Frances Gray was born February 12, 1927 in Waterville to Myrtie and Millage Guy Gray. Growing up she was voted "prettiest in school" in high school and at age 15, started her first job in a dress shop.
At age 18, she was hired to be a bookkeeper and saleswoman in an exclusive
haute couture boutique in Waterville. While there a mutual friend tried to introduce her to Muskie while he was working in the city as a lawyer. She had Gray model the dresses in the shop window while he was walking to work. Muskie came into the shop one day and invited her to a gala event. At the time she was 19 and he was 32;
their difference in age stirred controversy in the town. However, after eighteen months of courting Gray and her family, she agreed to marry him in a private ceremony in 1948. Gray and Muskie had five children: Stephen (born 1949), Ellen (born 1950), Melinda (born 1956), Martha (born 1958, d. 2006), and Edmund Jr. (born 1961).
The Muskies lived in a yellow cottage at
Kennebunk Beach while they lived in Maine.
U.S. Navy Reserve, 1942–1945
In June 1940, President Roosevelt created the
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1, 1943, and June 30, 1946, more than 125,000 participants were enrolled in 131 colleg ...
to prepare men under the age of 28 for the eventual outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Muskie formally registered for the
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
in October 1940 and was formally called to
deck officer
The deck department is an organisational team on board naval and merchant ships. The department and its manning requirements, including the responsibilities of each rank are regulated within the STCW Convention, applicable only to the merchant ...
training on March 26, 1942.
[Witherell (2014), p. 64] At 28, he was assigned to work as a
diesel engineer in the
Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School.
On September 11, 1942 he was called to
Annapolis, Maryland to attend the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
. He left his law practice running so "his name would continue to circulate in Waterville" while he was gone. He trained as an
apprentice seaman
Constructionman Apprenticevariation
Fireman Apprenticevariation
Airman Apprenticevariation
Seaman Apprenticeinsignia
Collarinsignia
Seaman apprentice is the second lowest enlisted rate in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and ...
for six weeks before being assigned the rank of
midshipman.
In January 1943, he attended diesel engineering school for sixteen weeks before being assigned to
First Naval District,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
in May. Muskie worked on the for a month. In June he was assigned to the at
Fort Schuyler
Fort Schuyler is a preserved 19th century fortification in the New York City borough of the Bronx. It houses a museum, the Stephen B. Luce Library, and the Marine Transportation Department and Administrative offices of the State University o ...
in New York where he worked as an
indoctrinator. In November 1943 he was promoted to
Deck Officer
The deck department is an organisational team on board naval and merchant ships. The department and its manning requirements, including the responsibilities of each rank are regulated within the STCW Convention, applicable only to the merchant ...
. He trained for two weeks in Miami, Florida at the
Submarine Chaser Training Center
US Navy Small Craft Training Centers (SCTC) were United States Navy training bases used to train sailors in the operation of the many small wooden crafts used in World War II. These crafts were given the nickname '' Splinter Fleet''. There was ...
. After that he was relocated to
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
, Ohio to study
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
in February 1944.
[Witherell (2014), p. 70] In March, he was promoted to
Lieutenant (junior grade)
Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies.
United States
Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), ...
.
Muskie was stationed at California's
Mare Island
Mare Island ( Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the ...
in April temporarily before formally engaging in
active duty
Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service.
India
The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be o ...
warfare.
He began his active duty tour aboard the
destroyer escort
Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships.
Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...
. His vessel was in charge of protecting
U.S. convoys traveling from the
Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...
and
Gilbert Islands from
Japanese submarines. The ''Brackett'' escorted ships to and from the islands for the majority of summer 1944. In January 1945, the ship engaged and eventually sunk a Japanese cargo ship headed for
Taroa Island
Taroa is an island in the east of Maloelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands. During World War II, it was the site of a major Japanese airfield (Taroa Airfield). The airfield was destroyed towards the end of World War II, and wreckage and remnants of ...
. After a few more months of escorting ships to and from the two islands, the ship was
decommissioned. He was
discharged
Discharge may refer to
Expel or let go
* Discharge, the act of firing a gun
* Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer
* Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...
from the Navy on December 18, 1945.
Maine House of Representatives
![Maine House of Representatives 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Maine_House_of_Representatives_2014.jpg)
He returned to Maine in January 1946 and began rebuilding his law practice. Convinced by others to run for political office as a way of expanding his law practice, he formally entered politics. He ran against Republican
William A. Jones in an election for the
Maine House of Representatives for the 110th District. Muskie secured 2,635 votes and won the election to most people's surprise on September 9, 1946. During this time the Maine Senate was stacked 30-to-3 and the House was stacked 127-to-24 Republicans against Democrats.
[Witherell (2014), p. 79]
He was assigned to the committees on federal and military relations during his first year. Muskie advocated for
bipartisanship
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...
which won him over widespread support across political parties. On October 17, 1946, his law practice sustained a large fire costing him an estimated $2,300 in damages. However a yearly stipend of $800 and help from other business leaders who were affected by the fire quickly restarted his practice.
His work with city ordinances in
Waterville prompted locals to ask him to run in the 1947 election to become Mayor of Waterville against banker Russel W. Squire. Perhaps due to
incumbency advantage, Muskie lost the election with 2,853 votes, 434 votes behind Squire. Some historians believe that his loss had to do with his inability to gain traction with
Franco-American voters.
Muskie continued his political involvement locally by securing a position on the Waterville Board of Zoning Adjustment in 1948 and stayed in this part-time position until he became governor. He later returned to the House to start his second term in 1948 as
Minority Leader against heavy Republican opposition. Muskie was appointed the chairman of the platform committee during the 1949 Maine Democratic Convention. During the convention, he brought together a variety of the political elite of Maine—notably
Frank M. Coffin and Victor Hunt Harding—to plan a comeback for the party. On February 8, 1951, Muskie resigned from the Maine House of Representatives to become acting director for the Maine
Office of Price Stabilization
An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...
. He moved to
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
soon after and was assigned the inflation-control and price-ceiling divisions.
[Witherell (2014), p. 99] His job required him to move across Maine to spread word about economic incentives which he used to increase his name recognition.
He served as the regional director at the Office of Price Stabilization from 1951 to 1952.
Upon leaving the Office he was asked to join the
Democratic National Committee as a member; he served on the committee from 1952 to 1956.
In April 1953, while working on renovations for his family home in Waterville, Muskie broke through a balcony railing falling two flights of stairs.
[Witherell (2014), p. 109] He landed on his back, knocked
unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital where he remained unconscious for two days.
Doctors believed that he was in a coma so they gave him comatose-specific medication which caused him to regain consciousness but start to
hallucinate
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinati ...
. Muskie tried to jump out of the hospital window but was restrained by staff members. After a couple of months, through
physical rehabilitation
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...
and corrective braces, he was able to walk once more.
Governor of Maine, 1955–1959
Gubernatorial campaign
![Muskie for Maine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Muskie_for_Maine.jpg)
After establishing a prominent presence in the Maine State Legislature and with the Office of Price Stabilization, he officially launched his bid in the
1954 Maine gubernatorial race as a Democrat.
Burton M. Cross
Burton Melvin Cross (November 15, 1902 – October 22, 1998) was an American Republican businessman and politician. Cross was Maine's 61st and 63rd Governor, though his two terms were separated by just 25 hours.
Biography
Born in Augusta, Main ...
, the Republican incumbent governor, was seeking reelection. Had he won, he would have been
the fifth consecutive Governor to be reelected. Throughout the election Muskie was viewed as the
underdog
An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...
because of the
Republican stronghold in Maine. Muskie acknowledged this himself by saying, "
his is
His or HIS may refer to:
Computing
* Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company
* Honeywell Information Systems
* Hybrid intelligent system
* Microsoft Host Integration Server
Education
* Hangzhou International School, in ...
more as a duty than an opportunity because there was no chance of a Democrat winning."
A variety of personal reasons motivated his run. Muskie was deeply in debt owing five thousand dollars in hospital bills and maintained a rising mortgage. At the time of his election, the salary for the Governor of Maine was set at ten thousand dollars annually.
While he was campaigning he was offered a position involving full partnership at a prestigious Rumford law firm that maintained "clients and income that
uskiehad not achieved in fourteen years of practice in Waterville."
His final choice reflected his 'society over self' mentality and decided to pursue the election.
[Robert Mason, ''Richard Nixon and the Quest for a New Majority'' (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina, 2004), p. 153.] He announced his candidacy for the office on April 8, 1954.
[Blomquist 1999, p. 93]
Muskie ran on a
party platform of environmentalism and public investment. His environmental platform argued for the establishment of the Maine Department of Conservation to "have jurisdiction of forestry, inland fish and game, sea and shore
fisheries, mineral, water, and other
natural resource
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...
s" and the creation of
anti-pollution legislation. He stressed the need for "a two-party" approach to Maine politics with resonated with both Democratic and Republican voters wishing to see change. Muskie's central
campaign slogan
The following is a list of notable political slogans.
Political slogan (listed alphabetically) A
* Abki baar Modi Sarkar – Bharatiya Janata Party's campaign slogan for 2014 Indian Parliamentary Elections
* ACT UP, Fight Back, Fight AIDS – ...
was "Maine Needs A Change" referencing the multi-year Republican stronghold.
He criticized the Republican Party for neglecting the environment, failing to restart the economy, underutilizing skilled labor forces, and ignoring public investment.
[Blomquist 1999, pp. 93–94]
He successively won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and then the general election by a majority popular vote on September 13, 1954. The
upset victory made Muskie the first Democrat to be elected chief executive of Maine since
Louis J. Brann
Louis Jefferson Brann (July 6, 1876 – February 3, 1948) was an American lawyer and political figure. He was the List of Governors of Maine, 56th Governor of Maine.
Early life
Brann was born in Madison, Maine to Charles M. Brann and Nancy L ...
in 1934. His election has been viewed as a causal link to the end of Republican political dominance in Maine and the rise of
the Democratic Party.
After his win, he was asked by other Democrats running in elections outside of Maine to make a series of campaign stops.
First term
![Portland-Head-Lighthouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Portland-Head-Lighthouse.jpg)
Muskie was inaugurated as the
64th 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 J ...
on January 6, 1955. He was the state's first
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
governor.
Shortly after his assumption of the office, the next election cycle stacked the legislature with a 4-to-1 Republican-Democrat ratio against Muskie. Through
bipartisanship
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...
and his aggressive personality
he managed to pass the majority of his party platform. Constituents pressured him to more aggressively pursue water control and anti-pollution legislation. In August, the
Maine State 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 ...
authorized him to take extraordinary action to control the state's pollution standards. He used this authority to sign the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Compact on August 31, 1955. This compact required member states to pay for anti-pollution measures collectively. Conservative members of the Chamber of Commerce fought back against Muskie in his attempt to allocate money to the compact and greatly reduced the amount paid. One of the chief concerns of Muskie during this time was economic development. Maine's population was aging, putting pressure on
welfare services. He expanded certain programs and cut down on others in order rebalance state spending.
Before leaving office Muskie signed an
executive order
In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of t ...
extending the gubernatorial term to four years.
He expanded the territory comprising
Baxter State Park
Baxter State Park is a large wilderness area permanently preserved as a state park in Northeast Piscataquis, Piscataquis County in north-central Maine, United States. It is in the North Maine Woods region and borders the Katahdin Woods and Wat ...
by 3,569 acres and purchased 40 acres (1.7 million ft
2) of
Cape Elizabeth
Cape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine, metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, Cape Elizabeth had a population of 9,535. ...
from the federal government for $28,000. He also created the Department of Development of Commerce and Industry and Maine Industrial Building Authority.
In February 1955, he was briefed on atomic energy power by the
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by U.S. Congress to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology. President ...
leading him to limit the expansion of atomic-powered electrical facilities.
Second term
![MuskieEd](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/MuskieEd.jpg)
On September 10, 1956, Muskie was re-elected Governor of Maine with 180,254 votes (59% of the vote) against Republican
Willis A. Trafton. He won 14 of the 16 counties. He began his second term by aggressively enforcing environmental standards. In 1957, he sanctioned a $29 million highway
bond
Bond or bonds may refer to:
Common meanings
* Bond (finance), a type of debt security
* Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States
* Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemica ...
.
This bond funded the largest road construction ever undertaken by Maine. The highway included 91 bridges and was extended in 1960 and 1967 by
Interstate 95.
During his tenure as Governor he retained a reputation for increased spending in public education, subsidized hospitals, modernized state facilities, and cumulatively raised state sale taxes by 1%.
He added $4 million to infrastructure development focusing on roads and river maintenance. Muskie pushed aggressive
economic expansionism.
In 1957, he founded the Maine Guarantee Authority which combated
economic maturation-related job loss making capital more accessible for business owners. Muskie also sporadically lowered
sales tax, increased the
minimum wage and furthered labor protections leading to a marked increase in
consumer spending
Consumer spending is the total money spent on final goods and services by individuals and households.
There are two components of consumer spending: induced consumption (which is affected by the level of income) and autonomous consumption (which ...
.
He amended the
constitution of Maine
The Constitution of the State of Maine established the " State of Maine" in 1820 and is the fundamental governing document of the state. It consists of a Preamble and ten Articles (divisions), the first of which is a "Declaration of Rights".
...
in order divert $20 million in public funds into private investment. He increased subsidies to expensive institutions such as public primary and secondary schools as well as universities. Although initially founded in 1836, the
Maine State Museum
The Maine State Museum is the official Maine government's museum and is located at 230 State Street, adjacent to the Maine State House, in Augusta. Its collections focus on the state's pre-history, history, and natural science.
Permanent exhib ...
was closed and reopened six time before Muskie permanently
endowed
A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are of ...
it in 1958.
His governorship exploited multi-factionalism in the Republican Party leading to a vast expansion of the
Democratic Party in Maine. From 1954 to 1974, the party doubled in size, while the Republican Party steadily decreased from 262,367 to 227,828 registered members.
Numerous state politicians mimicked his political style to push their programs through various local governments and garnered electoral success.
His executive appointments of moderate politicians shifted the entire Republican establishment in the state to the left.
This shift garnered comparisons to
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...
's influence in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
and
George McGovern's impact in
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
.
During his last months as governor he changed his office's term from two years to four years.
Shortly before leaving office he moved Maine's general election date from September to November conclusively ending the notion that "
as Maine goes, so goes the nation
"As Maine goes, so goes the nation" was once a maxim in United States politics. The phrase described Maine's reputation as a bellwether state for presidential elections. Maine's September election of a governor predicted the party outcome of the No ...
". This was attempted thirty-six times before Muskie brought about a constitutional amendment that moved the date.
Muskie resigned on January 2, 1959 to take his seat in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
after the
1958 Senate election. He was succeeded by Republican
Robert Haskell
Robert Nance Haskell (August 24, 1903 – December 3, 1987) was a Maine state senator and the 65th Governor of Maine for five days in 1959.
Haskell graduated from the University of Maine with an engineering degree in 1925. He became a design e ...
in an interim capacity until the Governor-elect, Democrat
Clinton Clauson, was inaugurated. Muskie was officially succeeded by Clauson on January 6, 1959.
United States Senate, 1959–1980
Elections and campaigns
![MuskieforSenate1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/MuskieforSenate1.jpg)
Muskie's first contestation for the
Senate of the United States
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
was in 1958. He ran in the
1958 elections against incumbent Republican Senator
Frederick G. Payne
Frederick George Payne (July 24, 1904 – June 15, 1978) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a United States Senate, U.S. Senator from Maine from 1953 to ...
. Muskie won the election with 60% of the vote against Payne's 39%. He was one of the 12 Democrats who overtook Republican incumbents and established the party as the party-of-house during the election cycle.
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported that during this election that the
absentee ballots requested for Democrats increased considerable signaling voter-discontent with
Republican ideology.
This election was considered the largest single-party gain in the Senate's history.
He ran for a second term in
1964, running against Republican
Clifford McIntire. Muskie won with 67% of the vote. The election was called "The Senate Race That Couldn't Be Lost" because of the outpouring of Democratic support following the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Election eve speech
His third campaign and election to the Senate occurred in 1970. During the
1970 elections, Muskie secured 62% of the vote against Republican
Neil S. Bishop
Neil S. Bishop (1903 – February 24, 1989) was an American dairy farmer, educator and politician from Maine.
Bishop was born in Presque Isle, Maine, although his family moved when he was young to Bowdoinham, Maine. He served four terms (1940– ...
's 38%. The elections were seen as tumultuous due to the United States' involvement in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
and rising unpopularity of incumbent president
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
. On the night of poll-opening Muskie gave a nationwide, 14 minute speech to addressed American voters following a similar address by Nixon. Dubbed the "election eve speech"
it spoke to
American exceptionalism
American exceptionalism is the belief that the United States is inherently different from other nations.
Peggy Noonan, an American political pundit, wrote in ''The Wall Street Journal'' that "America is not exceptional because it has long att ...
and against "torrents of falsehood and insinuation".
The speech was considered
bipartisan
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...
and was well received by both parties. Political analysts believed that the speech influenced voting patterns during the election as there were thirty million listeners.
Commentators received the speech as "essentially evangelical"
and indicative of "a volcanic private temper but a soothing public manner".
The most famous passage from the speech was widely commented on by the public for its biting nature and critique of "
politics of fear":
I am speaking from Cape Elizabeth
Cape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine, metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, Cape Elizabeth had a population of 9,535. ...
, Maine to discuss with you the election campaign which is coming to a close. In the heat of our campaigns, we have all become accustomed to a little anger and exaggeration. That is our system. It has worked for almost two hundred years—longer than any other political system in the world. But in these elections of 1970, something has gone wrong. There has been name-calling and deception of almost unprecedented volume. Honorable men have been slandered. Faithful servants of the country have had their motives questioned and their patriotism doubted. It has been led . . . inspired . . . and guided . . . from the highest offices in the land. ... We cannot make America small. ... Ordinarily that division is not between parties, but between men and ideas. But this year the leaders of the Republican party have intentionally made that line a party line. They have confronted you with exactly that choice. Thus—in voting for the Democratic party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
tomorrow—you cast your vote for trust—not just in leaders or policies—but for trusting your fellow citizens . . . in the ancient traditions of this home for freedom . . . and most of all, for trust in yourself.
The ''
Portland Press Herald
The ''Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram'' is a morning daily newspaper with a website that serves southern Maine and is focused on the greater metropolitan area around Portland, Maine, in the United States.
Founded in 1862, its roots e ...
'' on November 4, 1970 noted it akin to
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's
fire-side chats "with video".
The speech has been the subject of numerous studies regarding "the dimensions of the televised public address as an emerging rhetorical genre of pervasive influence in contemporary affairs".
In his
fourth and final election, Muskie ran against Republican
Robert A. G. Monks in 1976; he won 60% of the vote compared to Monk's 40%. The elections coincided with the election of
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
as president leading to a large influx of Democratic support, though Carter lost Maine to incumbent President
Gerald Ford in the
1976 presidential election.
First and second term
![Desk XCI (Biden and JFK Senate Chamber Desk)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Desk_XCI_%28Biden_and_JFK_Senate_Chamber_Desk%29.jpg)
Edmund Muskie was sworn into office as
U.S. Senator from Maine on January 3, 1959. His first couple of months in the Senate earned a reputation for being combative and often sparred with
Majority Leader
In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body. ,
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
, who subsequently relegated him to outer seats in the Senate. In the next five years, he gained significant power and influence and was considered among the most effective legislators in the Senate.
However, increased power and influence prompted supporters in Maine to label him "an honorary Kennedy", alluding to the indifference
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
had to Massachusetts when first gaining political traction.
Muskie used the influence gain in his first two terms to push a vast expansion of environmentalism in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
His specific goals were to curb pollution and provide a cleaner environment. Occasional speeches on
environmental preservation
Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health se ...
earned him the nickname "Mr. Clean".
He served his entire career in the Senate as a member of the
Committee on Public Works, a committee he used to execute the majority of his environmental legislation.
He served on the
Committee on Banking and Currency from 1959 to 1970; the
Committee on Government Operations until 1978.
As a member of the Public Works Committee, he traveled to the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in 1959.
He
sponsored the
Intergovernmental Relations Act, later that year.
In 1962, he co-founded the
United States Capital Historical Society along with other members of congress. The same year, members of Congress elected him to serve as the first chair of the Subcommittee on Air and Water Pollution.
In 1963, he was the first to sponsor a new Act to regulate air pollution. The
Clean Air Act of 1963
The Clean Air Act (CAA) is the United States' primary federal air quality law, intended to reduce and control air pollution nationwide. Initially enacted in 1963 and amended many times since, it is one of the United States' first and most inf ...
was written and developed by Muskie and his aide Leon Billings.
![Roosevelt-Campobello-International-Park-Trail](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Roosevelt-Campobello-International-Park-Trail.jpg)
His first major accomplishment was the passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964. He assembled more than one hundred votes for the proposed legislation eventually passing it.
Also during 1964, he was critical of
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation ...
's management of the
Federal Bureau of investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
. Muskie was upset by its "overzealous surveillance and its director's intemperance".
Muskie also sponsored the construction of the
Roosevelt Campobello International Park
Roosevelt Campobello International Park preserves the house and surrounding landscape of the summer retreat of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt and their family. It is located on the southern tip of Campobello Island in the Canadian pro ...
near
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Brunswick estate.
Due to its international nature, Muskie was asked to chair a joint U.S.-Canada commission to maintain the park.
In 1965, he was again sponsored the
Water Quality Act (later to be known as the Clean Water Act). He was the floor manager for the discussion and led to its passage in 1965 and its successful amendments in 1970.
Alongside President Johnson's
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964–65. The term was first coined during a 1964 commencement address by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the Universit ...
and
War on Poverty
The war on poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national ...
programs, Muskie drafted the
Model Cities Bill which eventually passed both houses of Congress in 1966.
Previously, combative with Johnson, Muskie began developing a more cooperative relationship with him. During Johnson's signing of the
Intergovernmental Cooperation Act he said: I am pleased that Senator Muskie could be with us this afternoon. I believe that no man has done more to encourage cooperation among the National Government, the States, and the cities." Also in 1966, Muskie was elected assistant
Democratic whip and served as the floor manager for the
Clean Water Restoration Act.
During 1967 the popular sentiment in the U.S. was
anti-war, which prompted Muskie to visit
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
to inform his political stance in 1968. Prior to his visiting the country, he debated with a congressman on a pro-war platform. After the trip, he became a leading voice for the anti-war movement and entered into the ongoing debate by speaking at the year's Democratic Convention. His speech was followed by "tens of thousands of protestors surrounded the convention and violent clashes with police carried on for five days."
He wrote to Johnson personally asserting his position on the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
. He made the case that the U.S. ought to withdraw from Vietnam as quickly as possible.
Months later, he wrote to the president again urging him to end
the bombing of North Vietnam. During the same year, he traveled with other Senators to the
Republic of South Vietnam
The Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (PRG, vi, Chính phủ Cách mạng Lâm thời Cộng hòa Miền Nam Việt Nam), was formed on June 8, 1969, by North Vietnam as a purportedly independent shadow gover ...
to validate their elections.
Later, at the
1968 Democratic National Convention, he led the debate for the administration plank on Vietnam, which sparked public outrage. On October 15, 1969, he was welcomed to the green at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
to address the issues regarding his vote but chose to decline the offer and speak that night at his alma mater,
Bates College
Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...
, in
Lewiston, Maine.
His decision to do so was widely criticized by the Democratic party and Yale University officials.
From 1967 to 1969, he served as the chair of
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. It is the only organization solely dedicated to electing Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current Chair is Se ...
.
He voted against the appointment of
Clement Haynsworth
Clement Furman Haynsworth Jr. (October 30, 1912 – November 22, 1989) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was also an unsuccessful nominee for the United States Supreme Court in 1969 ...
to the
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
.
Third and fourth term
His third term began in 1970 by co-sponsoring the
McGovern-Hatfield resolution to limit military intervention in the Vietnam War.
During this time
Harold Carswell was seeking appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Muskie voted against him and Carswell failed the confirmation process.
Muskie also proposed a six-month ban on domestic and
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
development of nuclear technologies to taper the
nuclear arms race
The nuclear arms race was an arms race competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War. During this same period, in addition to the American and Soviet nuc ...
.
![Edmund Muskie and George Mitchell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Edmund_Muskie_and_George_Mitchell.jpg)
As chair of the congressional environmental committee, he and fellow committee members including
Howard Baker introduced the
Clean Air Act of 1970
The Clean Air Act (CAA) is the United States' primary federal air quality law, intended to reduce and control air pollution nationwide. Initially enacted in 1963 and amended many times since, it is one of the United States' first and most inf ...
, which was co-written by the committee's staff director Leon Billings and minority staff director To
Jorling As part of the act, he told the automobile industry it would need to reduce its tailpipe air pollution emissions by 90% by 1977. He also co-wrote amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Act, more commonly known as the
Clean Water Act, and urged his fellow Congress members to adopt it, saying "The country was once famous for its rivers ... But today, the rivers of this country serve as little more than sewers to the seas. ... The danger to health, the environmental damage, the economic loss can be anywhere." The bill enjoyed
bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress and was passed by the House on November 29, 1971 and the Senate on March 29, 1972. While congressional support was enough to enact it into law President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
exercised his
executive veto on the bill and stopped it from becoming law. However, after further campaigning by Muskie, the
Senate and
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
passed the bill 247–23 to override Nixon's veto.
The bill was historic in that it established the regulation of pollutants in the federal and state waters of the U.S., created extended authority for the
Environmental Protection Agency, and created water health standards. Also in 1971, Muskie was asked to join the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid p ...
; he traveled to Europe and the Middle East in this capacity.
After concluding his
1968 campaign for the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
he returned to the Senate. While in Chattanooga, the
shooting of two black students at
Jackson State College
Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of studen ...
in 1970 by the Mississippi State Police, prompted Muskie to hire a
jet airliner
A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft). Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly clas ...
to take approximately one hundred people to see the bullet holes and attend a funeral of one of the victims. The people of Maine said this was "rash and self serving" but Muskie has stated his lack of regret for his actions publicly.
At an event in Los Angeles, he publicly stated his support for several
black empowerment movements in California, which garnered the attention of numerous media outlets, and black city councilman Thomas Bradley.
In 1970, Muskie was chosen to articulate the Democratic party's message to congressional voters before the midterm elections. His national stature was raised as a major candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972. In 1973, he gave the Democratic response to Nixon's
State of the Union address
The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current conditi ...
.
During this time, he was appointed the chair of the intergovernmental relations subcommittee. Considered "a backwater assignment", Muskie used it to advocate for a widening of governmental responsibilities, limiting the power of
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
's "
Imperial Presidency
Imperial presidency is a term applied to the modern presidency of the United States. It became popular in the 1960s and served as the title of a 1973 book by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., who wrote ''The Imperial Presidency'' to addres ...
" and advancing
New Federalism ideals.
He served as the chairman of the
Senate Budget Committee
The United States Senate Committee on the Budget was established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. It is responsible for drafting Congress's annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the Federal G ...
through the
Ninety-third to the
Ninety-sixth Congresses from 1973 to 1980. During this time, Congress founded the
Congressional Budget Office
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the United States Congress, legislative branch of the United States government that provides budget and economic information to Congress.
Ins ...
in order to challenge Nixon's budget request. Prior to 1974, there was no formal process for establishing a
federal budget so Congress founded the office under the auspices of the Senate Budget Committee. As chairman, Muskie presided over, formulated, and approved of the creation of the
United States budget process
The United States budget process is the framework used by Congress and the President of the United States to formulate and create the United States federal budget. The process was established by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, the Congressi ...
.
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
In 1977, he amended
Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 along with others, to pass the
Clean Water Act of 1977.
[Blomquist (1999), p. 261] These new additions incorporated "non-degradation" or "clean growth" policies intended to limit
negative externalities
In economics, an externality or external cost is an indirect cost or benefit to an uninvolved third party that arises as an effect of another party's (or parties') activity. Externalities can be considered as unpriced goods involved in either co ...
.
In 1978, he made minor adjustments to the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enacted in 1976, is the principal federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste.United States. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. , , ''et seq., ...
and the "
Superfund".
Campaigns for the White House
1968 presidential election
Campaign
![The only man qualified to be Vice President - Muskie LCCN2016648557](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/The_only_man_qualified_to_be_Vice_President_-_Muskie_LCCN2016648557.jpg)
In 1968, Muskie was nominated for vice president on the Democratic ticket with sitting Vice President
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...
. Humphrey asked Muskie to be his running mate because he was a more reserved contrast personality-wise, from a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
background and of Polish origin.
The Humphrey-Muskie ticket narrowly lost the popular vote to
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
and
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew (November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He is the second vice president to resign the position, the other being John ...
. Humphrey and Muskie received 42.7% of the popular vote and carried 13 states and 191
electoral votes; Nixon and Agnew won 43.4% of the popular vote and carried 32 states and 301 electoral votes, while the
third party
Third party may refer to:
Business
* Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller
* Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party
* Third-party insurance, such as a V ...
ticket of
George Wallace and
Curtis LeMay
Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was an American Air Force general who implemented a controversial strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II. He later served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air ...
, running as candidates of the
American Independent Party
The American Independent Party (AIP) is a far-right political party in the United States that was established in 1967. The AIP is best known for its nomination of former Democratic Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who carried five states in t ...
, took 14% of the popular vote and took five states in the
Deep South and their 46 votes in the
electoral college. Because of Agnew's apparent weakness as a candidate relative to Muskie, Humphrey was heard to remark that voters' uncertainties about whom to choose between the two major presidential candidates should be resolved by their attitudes toward the Vice-Presidential candidates.
[Nixon, Richard. ''RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon''.] While on the vice-presidential campaign trail in
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...
, he was quoted as saying:
The truth is that Americans, born in this great tradition of humanism
Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and Agency (philosophy), agency of Human, human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical in ...
, still yield to prejudice and practice discrimination against other Americans. The truth is, having developed patterns and ways of living which reflect these shortcomings and weaknesses, we find it burdensome and difficult to – and all too often unacceptable to – do the uncomfortable things that we all must do to right the wrongs of our society.
1972 presidential election
Background and primaries
![Ed-Muskie-at-Earth-Day-1970-web](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Ed-Muskie-at-Earth-Day-1970-web.jpg)
Before the
1972 election, Muskie was viewed as a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Despite his political rise in the polls he continued to engage in tiring day-after-day speeches in various parts of the country.
During an August 17, 1969 appearance on ''
Meet the Press
''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television news/interview program broadcast on NBC. It is the longest-running program on American television, though the current format bears little resemblance to the debut episode on November 6, 1947. ' ...
'', Muskie said his entry into the presidential primary would depend on his being convinced that he could meet the challenges as well as his comfort: "I don't think I'll answer either question for a year or two." On November 8, 1970, Muskie said he would only declare himself as a presidential candidate in the event he became convinced he was best suited for unifying the country through the presidency.
In August 1971, Harris polling amid a growing economic crisis, Muskie came out on top of incumbent Nixon if the election had been held that day.
In late 1971, Muskie gave an anti-war speech in
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
.
The nation was at
war in Vietnam
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
and President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
's foreign policy promised to be a major issue in the campaign.
The 1972
Iowa caucuses
The Iowa caucuses are biennial electoral events for members of the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Unlike primary elections in most other U.S. states, where registered voters go to polling places to cast ballot ...
, however, significantly altered the race for the presidential nomination. Senator
George McGovern from
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
, initially a
dark horse candidate, made a strong showing in the caucuses which gave his campaign national attention. Although Muskie won the Iowa caucuses, McGovern's campaign left Iowa with momentum. Muskie himself had never participated in a primary election campaign, and it is possible that this led to a weakening of his campaign. Muskie went on to win the
New Hampshire primary, the victory was by only a small margin, and his campaign took a hit after the release of the "Canuck letter".
"Canuck letter"
On February 24, 1972, a staffer from the White House forwarded a letter about Muskie to the ''
Manchester Union-Leader
The ''New Hampshire Union Leader'' is a daily newspaper from Manchester, the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. On Sundays, it publishes as the ''New Hampshire Sunday News.''
Founded in 1863, the paper was best known for the cons ...
''. The
forged
Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it ...
letter—reportedly the successful
sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...
work of
Donald Segretti
Donald Henry Segretti (born September 17, 1941, in San Marino, California) is an attorney best known for working as a political operative with then-U.S. President Richard Nixon's Committee to Re-elect the President during the early 1970s. Segret ...
and
Ken W. Clawson
Ken Wade Clawson (August 16, 1936 – December 17, 1999) was an American journalist, best known as a spokesman for U.S. President Richard Nixon at the time of the Watergate scandal. He was promoted from Nixon's deputy director of communications to ...
—asserted that Muskie had made disparaging remarks about
French Canadians which were likely to injure his support among the French-American population in northern
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
.
The letter contained reference to French Canadians as "
Canuck
''Canuck'' is a slang term for a Canadian. The origins of the word are uncertain. The term ''Kanuck'' is first recorded in 1835 as an Americanism, originally referring to Dutch Canadians (which included German Canadians) or French Canadians. By ...
s"—a term used affectionately by some Canadians but which may be regarded as offensive when referring to French Canadians —leading to its
sobriquet
A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...
, "The Canuck letter".
A day later, the same paper released an article that contained accusatory reference to his wife, Jane, as a drunkard and racially intolerant. On the morning of February 26, Muskie gave a speech to supporters outside of the ''Manchester Union-Leader'' offices in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, New Hampshire. His speech was viewed as emotional and defensive; he called the newspaper's editor a "gutless coward".
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
Muskie gave the speech during a snowstorm which created the appearance of him crying. Though Muskie later attempted to claim that what had appeared to the press as tears were actually melted snowflakes, the press reported that Muskie broke down and cried, shattering the candidate's image as calm and reasoned.
", ''Online NewsHour
''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events.
Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the progr ...
'', PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
, March 26, 1996.
Evidence later came to light during the
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...
investigation that, during the 1972 presidential campaign, the
Nixon campaign committee maintained a "dirty tricks" unit focused on discrediting Nixon's strongest challengers.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
(FBI) investigators revealed that the Canuck Letter was a forged document as part of the dirty-tricks campaign against Democrats orchestrated by the Nixon campaign.
Nixon was also reported to have ordered men to follow Muskie around and gather information. He tried to connect Muskie's acquaintance with singer
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
to an abuse of office. Muskie often flew on Sinatra's private plane while traveling around California.
1976 presidential election
In early July 1976, Muskie spoke with
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
in a "productive" and "harmonious" discussion that was followed by Carter confirming that he considered Muskie qualified for the vice-presidential nomination. Carter ultimately selected
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...
as his running mate.
U.S. Secretary of State, 1980–81
![Edmund Sixtus Muskie, U](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Edmund_Sixtus_Muskie%2C_U.S._Secretary_of_State.jpg)
In late April 1980, he was tapped by President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
to serve as secretary of state, following the resignation of
Cyrus Vance. Vance had opposed
Operation Eagle Claw
Operation Eagle Claw, known as Operation Tabas ( fa, عملیات طبس) in Iran, was a failed operation by the United States Armed Forces ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt the rescue of 52 embassy staff held captive at th ...
, a secret rescue mission intended to rescue
American hostages held by Iran. After that mission failed with the loss of eight U.S. servicemen, Vance resigned. Muskie was picked by Carter for his accomplishments with senatorial foreign policy. He was appointed and soon after
confirmed
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
by the Senate on May 8, 1980 by a margin of 94–2.
Draft Muskie movement
In June 1980, there was a "draft Muskie" movement among Democratic voters within the primaries of the
1980 presidential election. President Carter was running against Senator
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
, and opinion polls ranked Muskie more favorably against Kennedy. One poll showed that Muskie would be a more popular alternative to Carter than
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
, implying that the attraction was not so much to Kennedy as to the fact that he was not Carter. Moreover, Muskie was polled against Republican challenger Ronald Reagan at the time showing Carter seven points down. Due to a political allegiance with Carter, he backed out of the contention.
Pressured by the
Carter Administration, Muskie released the following public statement to Democratic voters: "I accepted the appointment as secretary of state to serve the country and to serve the president. I continue to serve the president, and I will support him all the way! I have a commitment to the president. I don't make such commitments lightly, and I intend to keep it."
An article by ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' speculated that the move to back Muskie was a temporary flex of political power by the Democratic voter base to unease Carter.
Afghanistan
In December 1979,
the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan which prompted
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
to trigger its ally contract.
Muskie began his tenure as secretary of state five months into the invasion. He assigned Deputy Secretary
Warren Christopher
Warren Minor Christopher (October 27, 1925March 18, 2011) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician. During Bill Clinton's first term as president, he served as the 63rd United States Secretary of State.
Born in Scranton, North Dakota, ...
the tasks of managing the domestic side of the department while he participated in international deliberations.
Muskie met with Soviet diplomat
Andrei Gromyko
Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko (russian: Андрей Андреевич Громыко; be, Андрэй Андрэевіч Грамыка; – 2 July 1989) was a Soviet communist politician and diplomat during the Cold War. He served as ...
who categorically rejected a compromise that would secure the Soviet Union's
withdrawal
Withdrawal means "an act of taking out" and may refer to:
* Anchoresis (withdrawal from the world for religious or ethical reasons)
* ''Coitus interruptus'' (the withdrawal method)
* Drug withdrawal
* Social withdrawal
* Taking of money from a ban ...
from Afghanistan.
Gromyko wanted the state department to formally recognize
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
as a part of the Soviet Union.
Soviet Union
Muskie was against the rapid accumulation of highly developed weaponry during the 1950s and 1960s as he thought that would inevitably lead to a
nuclear arms race
The nuclear arms race was an arms race competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War. During this same period, in addition to the American and Soviet nuc ...
that would erode international trust and cooperation. He spoke frequently with the government executives of
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
allies and that of the Soviet Union urging them to suspend their programs in pursuit of global security.
Muskie's inclinations were confirmed during the early 1970s when Russia split from the U.S. and accumulated more
warhead
A warhead is the forward section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket, torpedo, or bomb.
Classification
Types of warheads include:
* Expl ...
s and
anti-ballistic missile systems. In November 1980, Muskie stated that Russia was interested in pursuing a "more stable, less confrontational' relationship with the United States." He criticized the stances undertaken by
Ronald Reagan multiple times during his presidential campaign expressing disdain for the calls to reject the
SALT II treaty. Muskie, throughout his political career, was deeply afraid of
global nuclear war with the Soviet Union.
Iran hostage crisis
On November 4, 1979, 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage by
an Iranian student group in Tehran's
U.S. Embassy
The United States has the second most Diplomatic mission, diplomatic missions of any country in the world List of diplomatic missions of China, after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as obse ...
. After the resignation of
Cyrus Vance left a gap in the negotiations for the hostages, Muskie appealed to the United Nations (U.N.) and the government of Iran to release the hostages to little success. Already six months into the hostage crisis, he was pressed to reach a diplomatic solution.
[Mitchell 2009: 640] Before he assumed the position, the
Delta Force
The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...
rescue attempt called
Operation Eagle Claw
Operation Eagle Claw, known as Operation Tabas ( fa, عملیات طبس) in Iran, was a failed operation by the United States Armed Forces ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt the rescue of 52 embassy staff held captive at th ...
resulted in the death of multiple soldiers, leaving military intervention a sensitive course of action for the American public. He established diplomatic ties with the Iranian government and attempted to have the hostages released yet was initially unsuccessful. On January 15, as Muskie was flying to address 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 Constituti ...
in Augusta, President Carter called him as his jet was touching down at
Andrews Air Force Base.
Carter alerted him that there was a possible breakthrough in the negotiations conducted by his deputy secretary
Warren Christopher
Warren Minor Christopher (October 27, 1925March 18, 2011) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician. During Bill Clinton's first term as president, he served as the 63rd United States Secretary of State.
Born in Scranton, North Dakota, ...
.
After the negotiations failed, Muskie instructed the state department to continue seeking an agreement for the hostages' release.
On January 20—the
inauguration day of Ronald Reagan—the fifty-two hostages were handed over to U.S. authorities, a solution that had eluded Muskie and the entire Carter administration for 444 days and contributed to Carter's defeat.
Muskie left office on January 18, 1981, two days before Carter's last day as president and the inauguration of
Ronald Reagan.
Later years
![Photograph of President Reagan receiving the Tower Commission Report in the Cabinet Room - NARA - 198581](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Photograph_of_President_Reagan_receiving_the_Tower_Commission_Report_in_the_Cabinet_Room_-_NARA_-_198581.jpg)
Muskie retired to his home in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1981. He continued to work as a lawyer for some years. After leaving public office, he was a partner with Chadbourne & Parke, a law firm in
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
.
Muskie also served as the chairman of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
as well as the chairman Emeritus of the
Center for National Policy
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricit ...
.
In 1981, he was awarded the
Laetare Medal
The Laetare Medal is an annual award given by the University of Notre Dame in recognition of outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society. The award is given to an American Catholic or group of Catholics "whose genius has ennobled the a ...
by the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...
, considered the most prestigious award for
American Catholics
With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the country's second largest religious grouping, after Protestantism, and the country's largest single church or Christian denomination where Protestantism is divided in ...
.
Tower Commission
In 1987, Muskie was appointed a member of the President's Special Review Board known as the "
Tower Commission
The Tower Commission was a United States presidential commission established on December 1, 1986, by President Ronald Reagan in response to the Iran–Contra affair (in which senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arm ...
" to investigate President Ronald Reagan's administration's role in the
Iran-Contra affair. Muskie and the commission issued a highly detailed report of more than 300 pages that was critical of the president's actions and blamed the White House chief of staff,
Donald T. Regan
Donald Thomas Regan (December 21, 1918 – June 10, 2003) was the 66th United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1981 to 1985 and the White House Chief of Staff from 1985 to 1987 under Ronald Reagan. In the Reagan administration, he advoca ...
, for unduly influencing the president's activities. The panel was notable as the findings of the report were directly critical of the president who appointed the commission.
Muskie was critical of the commission decrying the "over-obsession with secrecy," noting that "there are occasions when it's necessary to hold closely information about especially covert operations, but even possibly other operations of the Government. But every time that you are over-concerned about secrecy, you tend to abandon process." While underfunded, the commission did find that the Reagan administration ran a parallel policy directive at the same time they were publicly condemning negotiating for hostages.
Death and funeral
![Defense](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Defense.gov_photo_essay_071215-D-0653H-571_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Muskie died at 4:06 AM
EST on the morning of March 26, 1996 at the
Georgetown University Medical Center
Georgetown University Medical Center is a biomedical research and educational organization that responsible for over 80% of Georgetown University's sponsored research funding and is led by Edward B. Healton, MD, the Executive Vice President for He ...
in Washington, D.C., after seeking treatment for bouts of
congestive heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...
. He died two days shy of his 82nd birthday. Eight days prior he underwent a
carotid endarterectomy
Carotid endarterectomy is a surgery, surgical procedure used to reduce the risk of stroke from carotid artery stenosis (narrowing the internal carotid artery). In endarterectomy, the surgeon opens the artery and removes the plaque. The plaque for ...
in his right neck.
His assistant reported that he had suffered a
myocardial infarction
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...
.
Some historians believe that his
blood clots were brought on from frequent 8,421 mile (13,552 km) flights to
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
; he was asked to assist in stabilizing its government on behalf of President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
.
Due to his service in the
United States Naval Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he was eligible to be buried at
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
in
Arlington County
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...
, Virginia.
His ultimate rank of lieutenant had him placed in Section 25 of the cemetery. Although he died on March 26, his
grave stone initially noted that he died on the 25th. His wife, Jane, died on December 25, 2004, due to health complications brought on by
Alzheimer's disease.
She was buried next to Muskie and his grave stone was corrected to read "March 26, 1996".
Muskie was
memorialized in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
,
Lewiston, Maine, and
Bethesda, Maryland. At his Washington memorial, he was paid tribute to by a variety of U.S. senators and house representatives.
His ''alma mater—''
Bates College
Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...
—held a memorial presided over by its president,
Donald Harward.
On March 30, 1996, a publicly broadcast,
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
funeral was held in Bethesda at the Church of the Little Flower. He was
eulogized
A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person or persons, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a ...
by U.S. president
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
; U.S. Senator,
George J. Mitchell
George John Mitchell Jr. (born August 20, 1933) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A leading member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from Maine from 1980 to 1995, and as Senate Majority Leader from 19 ...
; 20th United States Ambassador to the United Nations,
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...
; a political aide, Leon G. Billings; and one of Muskie's sons, Stephen.
Legacy
Historical evaluations
![Edmund Muskie Statue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Edmund_Muskie_Statue.jpg)
Historical evaluations of Edmund Muskie focus on the impact his actions and legislation had in the United States and the greater world.
His accomplishments in his home state have had him noted as one of the most influential politicians in
the history of Maine.
Depending on the metric he is coupled with
Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican ...
and
James Blaine
James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830January 27, 1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative ...
as the three most important politicians from Maine. Muskie occupied all offices available in
the Maine political system excluding
state senator and
United States representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
. His political status in Maine is generally perceived favorably. During his four-year term as Governor of Maine he initiated a
constitutional amendment, invested heavily in infrastructure, and institutionalized economic development—effectively bringing Maine into the
Golden Age of Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private pr ...
.
[Witherell (2014) pp. 130–42] Muskie ended the "
as Maine goes, so goes the nation
"As Maine goes, so goes the nation" was once a maxim in United States politics. The phrase described Maine's reputation as a bellwether state for presidential elections. Maine's September election of a governor predicted the party outcome of the No ...
" political sentiment in the United States by moving Maine's general election date to November instead of September.
He preserved the cultural integrity of the state by endowing the
Maine State Museum
The Maine State Museum is the official Maine government's museum and is located at 230 State Street, adjacent to the Maine State House, in Augusta. Its collections focus on the state's pre-history, history, and natural science.
Permanent exhib ...
which was seen as critical to his public perception.
Although economic expansionism was historically seen negatively by the people of Maine, Muskie's policies were seen favorably as they were coupled with environmental provisions. His advocation for
minimum wage increases, increased
labor protections, and
sales tax exemptions boosted
consumer spending
Consumer spending is the total money spent on final goods and services by individuals and households.
There are two components of consumer spending: induced consumption (which is affected by the level of income) and autonomous consumption (which ...
.
Muskie has been widely characterized as the catalyst for the political renaissance of the
Democratic Party in Maine.
His election to the governorship signaled a fracturing of the
Republican Party in the state and nearly tripled the number of Democrats in Maine between 1954 and 1974.
Since Muskie left office as the
U.S. Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
, writers, historians, scholars, political analysts and the general public have debated his legacy. Particular emphasis is placed on his impact in the environmentalist and
civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...
; bureaucratic advancement, and diplomacy. Overall supporters of Muskie point to an expansion of
environmental protection
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...
,
preservation
Preservation may refer to:
Heritage and conservation
* Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible
* ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...
, and security. Numerous historians have noted him as "the father of the
1960s environmental movement in America".
His accomplishments in environmentalism established two of the foremost measures in U.S.
environmental policy: the
Clean Water Act Amendments of 1972 and 1977 and
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 and 1977. His contributions to the Clean Air Act were so great that the bill was nicknamed the "Muskie Act".
These two laws have been credited as the first major step to launching the wider environmentalism movement both in the U.S. and to some extent, the rest of the
Free World
The Free World is a propaganda term, primarily used during the Cold War from 1945 to 1991, to refer to the Western Bloc and similar countries. It also more broadly refers to all non-communist and democratic countries. It has traditionally prima ...
. Harvard University law professor
Richard Lazarus
Richard S. Lazarus (March 3, 1922 – November 24, 2002) was an American psychologist who began rising to prominence in the 1960s. A ''Review of General Psychology'' survey, published in 2002, ranked Lazarus as the 80th most cited psychologist of ...
summarized Muskie's legislative legacy with the following:
Senator Muskie's environmental law legacy is no less than stunning in terms of positive impact on the nation's natural environment. It takes little imagination to speculate what our national landscape would now look like if the economic growth we witnessed in the past four decades had not been accompanied by the environmental protections for air, land, and water provided by the laws that Senator Muskie championed in the 1970s.
Muskie's influence on
American diplomacy was detailed by the
Office of the Historian
The Office of the Historian is an office of the United States Department of State within the Foreign Service Institute. It is legally responsible for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign p ...
with the following: "In the nine months Muskie served as Secretary of State, he conducted the first high-level meeting with the
Soviet government
The Government of the Soviet Union ( rus, Прави́тельство СССР, p=prɐˈvʲitʲɪlʲstvə ɛs ɛs ɛs ˈɛr, r=Pravítelstvo SSSR, lang=no), formally the All-Union Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly ab ...
after its
December 1979 invasion of Afghanistan. During these negotiations, Secretary Muskie unsuccessfully attempted to secure the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan.
ealso assisted President Carter in the implementation of the "
Carter Doctrine
The Carter Doctrine was a policy proclaimed by President of the United States Jimmy Carter in his State of the Union Address on January 23, 1980, which stated that the United States would use military force, if necessary, to defend its national i ...
", which aimed to limit
Soviet expansion into the Middle East and Persian Gulf. Finally, under Muskie's leadership, the State Department negotiated the release of the remaining
American hostages held by Iran."
Many political commentators believed the bestowing of the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
by Carter to be an affirmation of this assertion.
The public perception of his
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
advancement has endured. A champion of the
civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...
in the United States, he publicly criticized
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation ...
's
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
, which was at the time considered
political suicide
Political suicide is a concept by which a politician or political party loses widespread support and confidence from the voting public by proposing actions that are seen as unfavourable or that might threaten the status quo. A politician who is se ...
as Hoover often spied and attempted to smear his opponents. Muskie also was instrumental in the passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, the creation of
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Mond ...
, and developed the reform of
lobbying
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
.
His time as the chairman of the
Senate Budget Committee
The United States Senate Committee on the Budget was established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. It is responsible for drafting Congress's annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the Federal G ...
from 1975 to 1980 include the formation of the
United States budget process
The United States budget process is the framework used by Congress and the President of the United States to formulate and create the United States federal budget. The process was established by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, the Congressi ...
.
Because of this, he is known as the "father of the federal budget process".
David Broder
David Salzer Broder (September 11, 1929March 9, 2011) was an American journalist, writing for ''The Washington Post'' for over 40 years. He was also an author, television news show pundit, and university lecturer.
For more than half a century ...
of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', noted that Muskie's leadership of the Senate's intergovernmental relations subcommittee was, in part, responsible for countering
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
's "
Imperial Presidency
Imperial presidency is a term applied to the modern presidency of the United States. It became popular in the 1960s and served as the title of a 1973 book by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., who wrote ''The Imperial Presidency'' to addres ...
" and advancing "
New Federalism".
Public and political image
![Ed Muskie speech 1972](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Ed_Muskie_speech_1972.jpg)
Muskie's early political career was helped by his physical appearance. Voters could relate to his public persona in ways that translated to relatively high
voter turnout
In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Univ ...
.
R. W. Apple Jr. described Muskie as "long-jawed and craggy-faced" later noting that he "looked like the
typical New Englander ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
a classic
Down East accent."
Muskie's height has variously been recorded as 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) to 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m). His height had him often compared to U.S. President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
and referred to by voters and media alike as "Lincolnesque".
He was often seen as "towering over" political candidates creating symbolic superiority and power.
Known as a
recluse, he disliked public attention and media speculation. Voters often associated with his "trademark directness, homespun integrity, and
apolitical
Apoliticism is apathy or antipathy towards all political affiliations. A person may be described as apolitical if they are uninterested or uninvolved in politics. Being apolitical can also refer to situations in which people take an unbiased po ...
candor".
However, political aides have described him as having a "hot temper" and being demanding.
A notorious
micro-manager
In business management, micromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely observes, controls, and/or reminds the work of their subordinates or employees.
Micromanagement is generally considered to have a negative connotation, m ...
, Muskie often required his aides to have "every speech and every position researched, analyzed and reported directly back to him."
While reserved and polite in public, when roused, it was reported that Muskie "had the vocabulary of a sailor".
His ability to command an argument was taken positively by voters as it signaled good leadership ability. Political opponents noted his "cutting intellect" as in-conducive to lengthy debates and voters noted it as a good quality to possess when negotiating with foreign leaders.
An official publication by
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
commented on his political image by saying: "he will be remembered for the quality of his mind; the toughness, the rigor, the common sense; and for another quality: the courage to take risks for what he saw as right".
Known to be
punctual, he was present 90% of Senate roll-call votes.
Although he was portrayed as socially rigid, he often broke from this mold and showed a personable side. While campaigning in cities, he often let students from the crowd run up to the stage and present a case for policy reform, unheard of at the time.
Honors and memorials
![Memorial_to_Edmund_Muskie_in_Rumford,_Maine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Memorial_to_Edmund_Muskie_in_Rumford%2C_Maine.jpg)
He was awarded the Guardian of Berlin's Freedom Award from the
U.S. Army Berlin Command in 1961.
In 1969, he was inducted in the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
alongside
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
,
George McGovern,
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...
,
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Anita Chisholm ( ; ; November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional distr ...
, and
Bella Abzug
Bella Savitzky Abzug (July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998), nicknamed "Battling Bella", was an American lawyer, politician, social activist, and a leader in the women's movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria Steine ...
.
At the conclusion of his political career, he held the highest political office by a
Polish American
Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.83 ...
in U.S. history, and also was the only Polish American ever nominated by a major party for vice president.
[Hirshon (2003), p. 274] On the 100th birthday of Edmund Muskie, U.S. Senator
Angus King spoke on the floor of the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
in memoriam. King noted the following: "if you would see Ed Muskie's memorial, look around you. Take a deep breath. Experience our great rivers. Experience the environment that we now have in the country that we treasure."
Muskie received
the keys to all three major cities in Maine: Portland, Lewiston, and Augusta.
He was given
honorary citizenship
Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...
to the
State of Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
in 1968. Numerous days have been named "Edmund S. Muskie Day": September 25, 1968 (Michigan), January 20, 1980 (New York), March 28, 1988 (Maine), March 1928, 1994 (Maine), and March 20, 1995 (Maine).
In 1987, the
Maine State 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 ...
enacted Statute §A7 enacting "Edmund S. Muskie Day" on March 28. The statute was amended in 1989; Edmund S. Muskie Day is celebrated annually and is a public holiday in Maine.
Muskie was given honorary degrees from
Portland University
Portland University was a private, Methodist post-secondary school in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1891 in a split from Willamette University, the school closed in 1900. The campus was located in what is now the University Park ne ...
(1955),
Suffolk University (1955),
University of Maine
The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...
(1956),
University of Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 18 ...
(1960),
Saint Francis College
, mottoeng = My God, My All
, established =
, type = Private college
, chancellor =
, president = Miguel Martinez-Saenz
, provost = Jennifer Lancas ...
(1961),
Nasson College
Nasson College was a private four-year accredited liberal arts college in Springvale, Maine, USA. Established in , the college operated until .
History
The college was founded in 1912 as the Nasson Institute and changed its name twenty-three yea ...
(1962),
Hanover College
Hanover College is a private college in Hanover, Indiana, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1827 by Reverend John Finley Crowe, it is Indiana's oldest private college. The Hanover athletic teams participate in the H ...
(1967),
Syracuse University (1969),
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
(1969),
John Carroll University
John Carroll University is a private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio. It is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts institution accompanied by the John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business. John Carroll has an enrollment of 3 ...
(1969),
Notre Dame University
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
(1969),
Middlebury College (1969),
Providence College (1969),
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
(1969),
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...
(1969),
Northeastern University (1969),
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...
(1970),
Ricker College
Ricker College was a small college located in 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 Junior College ...
(1970),
St. Joseph's College (1970),
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, m ...
(1970),
St. Anselm College (1970),
Washington and Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...
(1971),
Rivier College
Rivier University is a private Catholic liberal arts university in Nashua, New Hampshire. Rivier is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and approved by the New Hampshire Department of Education.
History
Rivier Universit ...
(1971),
Thomas College
Thomas College is a private college in Waterville, Maine. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. As of Fall 2019 Thomas College currently enrolled 1,949 students; 1,819 w ...
(1973),
Husson College
Husson University is a private university in Bangor, Maine. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and as of Fall 2020 had a total enrollment of 3,476 students, including 799 graduate students in master's and doctoral programs.
Husson U ...
(1974),
Unity College (1975),
Marquette University
Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of M ...
(1982),
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
(1986), Bates College (1986),
Washington College
Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" name ...
(1987), and
University of Southern Maine
The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universit ...
(1992).
Muskie was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
—the nation's highest honor—by President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
on January 16, 1981 for his work during the
Iran hostage crisis
On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over ...
, four days before stepping down from the presidency. In 1984, the House of Representatives designated the Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building in Augusta.
The
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...
honors lawyers who under take ''
pro bono'' work with the annual Edmund S. Muskie Pro Bono Service Award. From 1993 to 2013, the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
ran the
Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program was a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State in 1992–2013.
The Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program provided opportunities for gradu ...
in an effort to increase international
study abroad. In 1996, the Edmund S. Muskie Distinguished Public Service Award was founded by the
Truman National Security Project
The Truman National Security Project is a United States Democratic Party-aligned national security and leadership development organization based in Washington, D.C. It serves to organize center-left to progressive Americans on issues of national ...
to honor current or former elected officials.
The Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service at the
University of Southern Maine
The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universit ...
was named in his honor in 1990.
Muskie's papers and personal effects are kept at the
Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library at
Bates College
Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...
in
Lewiston, Maine.
[Witherell (2014), p. 251]
See also
*
List of people from Maine
The following is a list of prominent people who were born in the American state of Maine, live in Maine, or for whom Maine is a significant part of their identity.
A
* Angela Adams (born 1965), designer; born in North Haven
* Paul André ...
*
List of Bates College people
This list of notable people associated with Bates College includes Matriculation, matriculating students, Alumnus, alumni, attendees, faculty, trustees, and honorary degree recipients of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Members of the Bates co ...
*
List of Cornell University people
*
List of governors of Maine
The governor of Maine is the head of government of Maine and the commander-in-chief of its military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Maine Legislature, to convene ...
*
List of United States senators from Maine
*
List of secretaries of state of the United States
This is a list of secretaries of state of the United States.
Secretaries of foreign affairs (1781–1789)
On January 10, 1780, the Confederation Congress created the Department of Foreign Affairs.
On August 10, 1781, Congress selected Robert ...
*
List of United States presidential candidates
This article is a list of United States presidential candidates. The first U.S. presidential election was held in 1788–1789, followed by the second in 1792. Presidential elections have been held every four years thereafter.
Presidential candidat ...
*
List of United States Democratic Party presidential tickets
This is a list of American electoral candidates for the offices of President of the United States and Vice President of the United States of the modern Democratic Party, either duly preselected and nominated, or the presumptive nominees of a futu ...
*
Response to the State of the Union address The response to the State of the Union address is a rebuttal speech, often brief, delivered by a representative (or representatives) of an opposition party following a presidential State of the Union address. When the president is a Democrat, the r ...
Explanatory notes
Citations
General and cited references
Cited works
* Anson, Cherrill A. (1972).
Edmund S. Muskie, Democratic Senator from Maine'. Grossman Publishing.
* Baldwin, Samuel J.; Nicoll Donald E.; Goldstien Soel K. et al. (2015). ''The Legacy of U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie''. Maine Law Review. Online.
* Blomquist, Robert F. (1999). ''What is Past is Prologue: Senator Edmund S. Muskie's Environmental Policymaking Roots as Governor of Maine, 1955–58''. Valparaiso University School of Law.
* Hirshon, Robert E. (2003). "The Legacy of Senator Edmund Muskie". ''Maine Law Review''. Online.
* King, Angus. (2014). "Sen. King Honors Sen. Ed Muskie's Centennial Birthday". Senator Angus S. King, Jr. YouTube.
* Lippmann, Theo; Hansen Donald C. (1971). ''Muskie''. W.W. Norton & Company . Print.
* Mitchell George J. (1997). ''The World Peace: The Legacy of Edmund S. Muskie''. Cornell Law Review.
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
Press.
* Witherell, James L. (2014). ''Ed Muskie: Made in Maine: The Early Years, 1914–1960''. Tilbury House Publishers. Print.
Primary sources
Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library Archives & Manuscripts
Online legislative record
External links
*
The Edmund S. Muskie Foundation*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Muskie, Edmund
1914 births
1996 deaths
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American politicians
1968 United States vice-presidential candidates
American environmentalists
American politicians of Polish descent
Bates College alumni
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Candidates in the 1972 United States presidential election
Carter administration cabinet members
Catholics from Maine
Cornell Law School alumni
Deaths from congestive heart failure
Democratic Party (United States) vice presidential nominees
Democratic Party United States senators from Maine
Democratic Party governors of Maine
Hubert Humphrey
Laetare Medal recipients
Maine lawyers
Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives
Military personnel from Maine
People from Rumford, Maine
Politicians from Waterville, Maine
Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
United States Navy officers
United States Navy personnel of World War II
United States Secretaries of State