The Maine Women's Hall of Fame was created in 1990 to honor the achievements of women associated with the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
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 ...
. The induction ceremonies are held each year during March, designated as
Women's History Month
Women's History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with ...
. Nominees are chosen by the public via an online nomination form. The
University of Maine at Augusta
The University of Maine at Augusta (UMaine Augusta or UMA) is a public college in Augusta, Maine. It is part of the University of Maine System. UMA provides Bachelor's degree, baccalaureate and select associate degrees for residents of Central M ...
displays the hall of fame in its Bennett D. Katz Library, and also hosts the hall of fame online at the university's website. The nomination form lists three criteria for eligibility:
:1) Woman's achievements must have had a significant statewide impact
:2) Woman's achievements significantly improved the lives of women in Maine
:3) Woman's contribution has enduring value for women.
Nominations have a December deadline of any given year.
The first two inductees in 1990 were
Mabel Sine Wadsworth
Mabel Antoinette Sine Wadsworth (October 14, 1910 – January 11, 2006) was an American birth control activist and women's health educator. Influenced by the work of Margaret Sanger, she organized door to door campaigns in rural Maine in the 1950 ...
and
Margaret Chase Smith
Margaret Madeline Smith (née Chase; December 14, 1897 – May 29, 1995) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a U.S. representative (1940–1949) and a U.S. senator (1949–1973) from Maine. She was the firs ...
. Wadsworth had devoted her life to multiple issues, including maternal health and family planning, founding the Wadsworth Women's Health Center. She was a member of the board of Board of Directors of Legal Services for the Elderly, and helped raise funds for noteworthy organizations.
Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman elected to serve 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 ...
. She ran for
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
in the 1964
Republican Party primarily, but lost out to
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
. She was also the first Republican to speak out against the tactics of fellow Senator
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visi ...
, in her June 1, 1950 address on the floor of the Senate.
Two decades after its inception, the list of Inductees contains an Olympic gold medalist,
Joan Benoit
Joan Benoit Samuelson (born May 16, 1957) is an American marathon runner who was the first women's Olympic Games marathon champion, winning the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She held the fastest time for an American woma ...
, two more United States Senators,
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 ...
and
Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins (born December 7, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Maine. A member of the Republican Party, she has held her seat since 1997 and is Maine's longest-serving member of Co ...
, and the mother of a Senator,
Patricia M. Collins
Patricia M. Collins is an American civic leader and politician who served as the mayor of Caribou, Maine from 1981 to 1982. She has chaired numerous local and state boards and organizations, including the Caribou School Board, the Maine Committe ...
who herself had been mayor of a Maine city. Geneticist
Elizabeth S. Russell joined the list, as did the President
University of Maine at Presque Isle
The University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMaine Presque Isle or UMPI) is a public college in Presque Isle, Maine. It is part of the University of Maine System and one of two University of Maine System schools in Aroostook County (the other being ...
Nancy H. Hensel. Author and Holocaust survivor
Judith Magyar Isaacson has been honored by an induction into the hall of fame. With the 2011 inductees, the hall of fame had honored 35 women for their contributions to Maine and to the female population.
Inductees
Further reading
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External links
Maine Women's Hall of Fame home pageMarti Stevens Interactive Improvisational Theater
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Women's halls of fame
Lists of American women
State halls of fame in the United States
Women's museums in the United States
Women in Maine
Halls of fame in Maine