Emilien A. Levesque (1922 – August 21, 2003) was an American politician from

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

. Levesque, a

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

from Madawaska, served five terms (1960–1970) in the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...

. He spent his final three terms in leadership, including one term as House Majority Leader (1964–1966) and two as House Minority Leader (1966–1970). Levesque was born in 1922 in

Grand Isle, Maine Grand Isle ( French: ''Grande Île'') is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 366 at the 2020 census. The village of Grand Isle is in the northwest part of the town. Etymology Grand Isle takes its name from an ...

. He attended high school in

Van Buren, Maine Van Buren is a town on the Saint John River in Aroostook County, Maine, United States; located across from Saint-Leonard, New Brunswick, Canada. The population was 2,038 at the 2020 census. It is named after U.S. President Martin Van Buren. G ...

. He was drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

to fight in

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 ...

in 1943. During the war, Levesque saw action primarily in Italy and Germany before being taken prisoner in Germany. He was released from the prisoner hospital in 1945. Levesque was of French-Canadian descent, as was the majority of residents of the St. John Valley area of northern Maine.

References

1922 births 2003 deaths People from Madawaska, Maine Maine Democrats Majority leaders of the Maine House of Representatives Minority leaders of the Maine House of Representatives American people of French-Canadian descent United States Army personnel of World War II American prisoners of war in World War II 20th-century American legislators World War II prisoners of war held by Germany {{Maine-politician-stub