Lois Anita Snowe-Mello (February 27, 1948 – January 24, 2016) 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 ...

. Snowe-Mello was a

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

former

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

from Maine's 15th District, representing her residence in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

as well as

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

Minot Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Minot Air Force Base, Air Force base approximately north of ...

and

New Gloucester New Gloucester is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, in the United States. It is home to the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, the last active Shaker village in the U.S. The town's population was 5,676 at the 2020 census. New Gloucester is part ...

. She graduated from the County College of Hair Design in 1972 as well as studying at the

County College of Morris County College of Morris (CCM) is a public community college in Randolph, New Jersey. CCM offers associate degree and certificate programs as well as transfer opportunities for students looking to pursue a bachelor's degree at another instituti ...

(1976 to 1978) and

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

(1980). She served 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 ...

for eight years, being first elected in 1996. She first was elected to the Senate in 2004, beating incumbent State Senator

Neria Douglass Neria R. Douglass (born 1952) is an American attorney and politician who served as State Treasurer of Maine. Priorly, she served as State Auditor and also represented Auburn in the Maine Senate. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Career ...

. She was reelected in 2006. In 2008, she faced a tough challenge from Representative Deborah Simpson and narrowly lost reelection. In 2010, Snowe-Mello bested Simpson in a rematch. She was a cousin of Peter T. Snowe, former U.S. Senator

Olympia Snowe Olympia Jean Snowe (; born February 21, 1947) is an American businesswoman and politician who was a United States Senator from Maine from 1995 to 2013. Snowe, a member of the Republican Party, became known for her ability to influence the outcom ...

's first husband. She was predeceased by her husband, Brian Mello, who died April 15, 2015. From 2010 to 2012, Snowe-Mello was appointed chair of the Engrossed Bills and Marine Resources committees.

References

1948 births 2016 deaths Politicians from Passaic, New Jersey People from Poland, Maine Republican Party Maine state senators Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Arizona State University alumni County College of Morris alumni Women state legislators in Maine 21st-century American legislators 21st-century American women politicians {{Maine-politician-stub