Judy Ayotte Paradis (born January 17, 1944) is 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 ...

. From 1986 to 1994, she represented

Madawaska, Maine Madawaska is a New England town, town in Aroostook County, Maine, Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,867 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Madawaska is opposite Edmundston, Madawaska County, New Brunswick, M ...

while serving in the

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

as a member of 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 ...

(1986-1992) and the

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

(1992-1994). In 1991, she won the Toll Fellowship from the National Council of State Legislatures. In December 2011, during an event in Northern Aroostook County, Paradis told Governor

Paul LePage Paul Richard LePage (; born October 9, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 74th Governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, LePage served two terms as a city councilor in Waterville, Maine, before being ...

, "You come off as a bully" during a workshop regarding large cuts to MaineCare proposed by the LePage administration.

Personal

Paradis was born on January 17, 1944, in St. Agatha, Maine of

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

parents. Bilingual, she speaks English and

Acadian French Acadian French (french: français acadien, acadjonne) is a variety of French spoken by Acadians, mostly in the region of Acadia (region), Acadia, Canada. Acadian French has 7 regional accents, including chiac and brayon. Phonology Since there w ...

. She studied French at the University of Maine Fort Kent. She then taught French at Wisdom Middle High School in her hometown and nearby

Madawaska High School Madawaska Middle/High School is a public secondary school, serving grades 7 through 12, located in Madawaska, Maine, United States. The school serves students in from Madawaska, Saint David, and Grand Isle. The building also hosts the area's ...

. She was inducted in the

Maine Women's Hall of Fame The Maine Women's Hall of Fame was created in 1990 to honor the achievements of women associated with the U.S. state of Maine. The induction ceremonies are held each year during March, designated as Women's History Month. Nominees are chosen by the ...

in 2005.

References

1944 births Living people People from Madawaska, Maine Women state legislators in Maine University of Maine at Fort Kent alumni Members of the Maine House of Representatives Maine state senators American people of French-Canadian descent Schoolteachers from Maine American women educators 21st-century American women {{Maine-politician-stub