Kenneth Merwin Curtis (born February 8, 1931) is an American attorney,
Democratic politician, and diplomat. He was the Maine Secretary of State from 1965-1966, the Governor of Maine from 1966-1974, and the
United States Ambassador to Canada from 1979 to 1981. Curtis is a member of the
Democratic Party and is currently
Of Counsel at the Curtis Thaxter law firm in
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...
, which he founded in 1975.
Early life and education
Curtis was born in Curtis Corner,
Leeds, Maine to Archie, a fifth-generation farmer of the family land there, and Harriet (Turner) Curtis. He attended
Cony High School
Cony High School is a public school located in Augusta, Maine, United States that educates students from Grades 9 to 12. Cony draws its students from Augusta, as well as the surrounding communities of Chelsea, China, Jefferson, Palermo, Somer ...
in Augusta and graduated in 1949. He then attended
Maine Maritime Academy
Maine Maritime Academy (Maine Maritime or MMA) is a public college focused on maritime training and located in Castine, Maine. The academy was established by the 90th Maine Legislature on March 21, 1941. Unlike federal service academies, a congr ...
and received a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
in 1952.
Curtis served 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 Sel ...
from 1953 to 1955 and was a
lieutenant commander
Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...
in the
Korean War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Korean War
, partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict
, image = Korean War Montage 2.png
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...
before leaving the Navy to pursue a law degree. He was admitted to the Maine Bar in 1958 and received a
LL.B. from
Portland University School of Law in 1959 and a
LL.D. from
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 1981.
Career
Curtis's political career began in 1956 when he worked for
James Oliver's Democratic campaign for
Maine's 1st congressional district. Oliver lost to Robert Hale in 1956 but won in 1958 with Curtis serving as campaign manager. Curtis worked as Oliver's assistant from 1959-1961.
In 1963, Curtis was appointed Maine Coordinator for the Area Redevelopment Administration by
President John F. Kennedy and served in that position until 1964 when he campaigned for the 1st district seat but lost to
Stan Tupper.
Curtis served as the
Maine Secretary of State from 1965 to 1966.
In 1966, Curtis defeated
Carlton Reed, the Maine Senate President and former Speaker of the House, in a primary election to challenge incumbent Republican Governor
John Reed. In the
1966 Maine gubernatorial election, with campaign help from Robert F. Kennedy, Curtis defeated Reed 53%-47%.
Governor of Maine
First term, 1967–1971
Curtis was the
68th Governor of Maine and the youngest governor in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
at the time.
In 1968, Curtis merged the University of Maine at Orono with five teachers' colleges throughout the state, creating the
University of Maine System
The University of Maine System (UMaine System or UMS) is a state university system in the U.S. state of Maine. It was created in 1968 by the Maine Legislature and consists of eight institutions, each with a distinct mission and regional charact ...
. In 1969, Curtis and the Republican legislature enacted Maine's first income tax, which as of 2021 still provides the bulk of the state's revenue. The administration also enacted several notable environmental protection measures, such as the Site Location of Development Act, and created the Department of Environmental Protection.
Curtis chaired the New England Governors’ conference from 1969 to 1970 and was Chairman of the Environmental Task Force of the
National Governors' Conference in the early 1970s.
In the
1970 Maine gubernatorial election, Curtis narrowly beat
Maine Attorney General James Erwin by a margin of only 890 votes to win a second term.
Second term, 1971–1975
Curtis was the first Maine governor to serve two four-year terms. In 1972, he reorganized the Maine state government to cabinet system, replacing 150 independent agencies with 16 departments. The heads of these departments would be appointed by each currently-serving governor, whereas previously they had remained in their positions after being appointed by former governors.
According to the Maine Historical Society, Curtis was "one of a few sitting governors to climb Mt. Katahdin and canoe the Allagash River."
Post-gubernatorial career
In 1975, Curtis founded the Curtis Thaxter law firm with several colleagues, and he served as chairman of the
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...
from 1977 to 1978.
Curtis served as the
United States Ambassador to Canada from 1979 to 1981. His tenure coincided with 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 ...
and the
Canadian Caper, and Curtis handled communication regarding the status of six American diplomats being sheltered by Canadian embassy staff in Tehran and eventually rescued by the CIA.
Curtis served as the 11th president of Maine Maritime Academy from 1986 to 1994.
Family
Curtis met Pauline "Polly" Brown while they both worked at Sears Roebuck in downtown Portland. They were married in 1956.
The Curtises had two children, Susan (born 1959) and Angela (born 1961), both of whom were born with
cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. Ot ...
. On Tuesday, July 20, 1970, Susan died at Central Maine General Hospital in Lewiston of
respiratory failure
Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...
. She was 11 years old. Since Ken Curtis was serving his first term as governor, the family received numerous monetary donations in Susan's name, and friends and political supporters encouraged the Curtises to start a
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
with the funds. After researching specific needs throughout Maine, the newly-formed Susan L. Curtis Foundation opened Camp Susan Curtis in
Stoneham, Maine in 1974 to serve economically disadvantaged Maine children.
The Curtises' second daughter, Angela Curtis Hall, who was also born with cystic fibrosis, died in 1996. She was 34.
The Curtises semi-retired to Florida from 1997 to 2017 and then returned to Maine. As of January 2021, they live in Scarborough. Curtis is
Of Counsel at Curtis Thaxter, the
Portland law firm he founded in 1975.
Appointments and honors
References
External links
The Susan Curtis Foundation/Camp Susan CurtisGeorge J. Mitchell Oral History Project interview, Bowdoin College, 2010"In Search of a Strong Agenda: An Interview with Kenneth M. Curtis" ''Maine Policy Review'', Volume 1, Number 3, 1992
Curtis Homestead Conservation Area, Leeds, Maine
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Kenneth
1931 births
20th-century American politicians
Ambassadors of the United States to Canada
American lawyers
American Protestants
Bates College alumni
Democratic National Committee chairs
Democratic Party governors of Maine
Living people
Maine Maritime Academy alumni
Military personnel from Maine
People from Leeds, Maine
People from Sarasota, Florida
United States Navy officers
University of Maine School of Law alumni