Neil Rolde (July 25, 1931 – May 15, 2017) was an American historian, author, philanthropist, and politician. Rolde grew up in
Brookline, Massachusetts, and attended
Phillips Academy in Andover. He earned a BA in English Literature at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
and a masters in journalism at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. He worked as a film scriptwriter before moving to
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 ...
with his wife, Carlotta Florsheim, to raise their family.
Political career
Rolde's many years of public service include being an assistant to Governor
Kenneth M. Curtis
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 f ...
of Maine for six years (including campaign manager in 1967) and sixteen years from 1974-1990 as elected representative 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 Augus ...
. He represented the district of York and became majority leader of the Maine House during the 107th Legislature from 1975-77.
In 1976, Rolde ran in a seven-candidate primary for the 1976 Democratic nomination for the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, where he gained 18 percent of the vote and finished third. In
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
, Rolde won the Democratic Party's nomination but lost to the incumbent Republican Senator
Bill Cohen.
Rolde served on a number of state boards and commissions, including the Maine Health Care Reform Commission, the Maine Historic Preservation, and the Maine Arts and Humanities Commission; and private, nonprofit boards, where he served as chairman, Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, vice-chair, University of New England Board of Trustees, chairman, Board of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, chairman, Seacoast Shipyard Association Executive Board, and trustee, the Maine Health Care Access Foundation.
He was very involved in his
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
community, remained politically active, and continued to serve as chairman of the board of the Save our Shipyard nonprofit that twice successfully fought the potential cuts to the
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Founded in 1800, PNS is U.S. Navy's oldest continuo ...
proposed by the BRAC federal commission.
Writing career
Most of Neil Rolde's books are about Maine history and its people. The history and challenges of Maine's
Native Americans has been a reoccurring theme since Rolde's childhood, and he helped the tribes while in the Curtis administration. His experiences led him to write one of Maine's definitive historical books: ''Unsettled Past, Unsettled Future: The Story of Maine Indians''.
The author received awards for his books from the Maine Historical Society, the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, and the Maine Humanities Council.
Death
Rolde died of natural causes at his home in
York, Maine
York is a town in York County, Maine, United States, near the southern tip of the state. The population in the 2020 census was 13,723. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort town. It is home ...
, on May 15, 2017, at the age of 85.
Publications
* ''More Than a Teardrop in the Ocean''; Volume 1, The Tempestuous Story of the War Refugee Board
* ''More Than a Teardrop in the Ocean''; Volume 2, More of the Tempestuous Story of the War Refugee Board
* ''Real Political Tales: Short Stories by a Veteran Politician''
* ''Breckinridge Long: American Eichmann??? An Enquiry into the Character of the Man Who Denied Visas to the Jews''
* ''York Is Living History''
* ''Maine: A Narrative History'', Harpswell Press, 1990
* ''O. Murray Carr: A Novel''
* ''Maine in the World: Stories of Some of Those From Here Who Went Away''
* ''Continental Liar From the State of Maine: James G. Blaine''
* ''Maine: Downeast and Different, an Illustrated History''
* ''Unsettled Past, Unsettled Future: The Story of Maine Indians''
* ''The Interrupted Forest: A History of Maine’s Wildlands''
* ''The Baxters of Maine: Downeast Visionaries''
* ''Your Money or Your Health: America’s cruel, Bureaucratic, and Horrendously Expensive Health Care System''
* ''So You Think You Know Maine''
* ''Rio Grande Do Norte: The Story of Maine’s Partner State in Brazil''
* ''Sir William Pepperrell of Colonial New England'', Harpswell Press, 1982
As coauthor and contributor:
* ''To Katahdin: The 1876 Adventures of Four Young Men and a Boat''
* ''Greatest Mountain: Katahdin’s Wilderness''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolde, Neil
1931 births
2017 deaths
Historians of Maine
Yale University alumni
Politicians from Brookline, Massachusetts
Maine Democrats
People from York, Maine
American campaign managers
Writers from Maine
Writers from Brookline, Massachusetts
Majority leaders of the Maine House of Representatives