Margaret Chase Smith
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| Margaret Chase Smith
Member of the United States Senate from Maine |
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| In office 1949 - 1973 |
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| Preceded by | Wallace H. White, Jr. |
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| Succeeded by | William Hathaway |
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| Born | December 14, 1897 Skowhegan, Maine |
| Died | May 29, 1995 Skowhegan, Maine |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Clyde H. Smith |
| Member of the U. S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd district | |
| In office 1940 - 1949 |
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| Preceded by | Clyde H. Smith |
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| Succeeded by | Charles Pembroke Nelson |
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| Born | December 14, 1897 Skowhegan, Maine |
| Died | May 29, 1995 Skowhegan, Maine |
| Political party | Republican |
Margaret Chase Smith (December 14, 1897–May 29, 1995) was a Republican Senator from Maine, and one of the most successful politicians in Maine history. She was the first woman to be elected to both the U.S. House and the Senate. She was also the first woman to have her name placed in nomination for the U.S. Presidency at a major party's convention (1964 Republican Convention, won by Barry Goldwater). She was a moderate Republican and might be termed a Rockefeller Republican.
Margaret Chase was born in Skowhegan, Maine, on December 14, 1897, the daughter of Carrie Murray and George Emery Chase. As a young woman she taught school at a one-room schoolhouse, worked as a telephone operator, managed circulation for the Skowhegan Independent Reporter, and served as an executive with a local textile mill. She became involved with local women's organizations and helped found the Skowhegan Business and Professional Women's Club. She attended Colby College where she was a member of Sigma Kappa. In 1930, she married Clyde Smith, a respected political leader in central Maine.
She first won a seat to the U.S. House of Representatives on June 3, 1940 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband. She served on the House Naval Affairs committee during World War II. As co-chair of a subcommittee that investigated problems encountered by the War Department in rapidly establishing bases across the nation, she was instrumental in resolving conflicts between states, local jurisdictions and the military.
She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1948. She served in the Senate from 1949 to 1973. In her bid for a third term in 1960, the Democratic Party put up Lucia Cormier, the Democratic floor leader of the Maine House of Representatives, making it the first time two women ran against each other for a Senate seat. By the end of her fourth term, the charm she had had for so many years seemed to evaporate. She was defeated for reelection in 1972 by Democrat Bill Hathaway, the only election she ever lost in the state of Maine. In her last election Smith had been plagued by rumors of poor health (she had been using a motor scooter around the Senate). A Republican primary challenger taunted her for being out of touch; she did not have a state office operating in Maine. Also, she alienated liberals with her support for the Vietnam War while turning off conservatives with her votes against Nixon Supreme Court nominees Clement Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell.
Senator Smith had a professional and personal relationship with staff assistant William Lewis, a lawyer from Oklahoma with a Harvard MBA. He had been assigned to work with the House Naval Affairs committee while with the Naval Reserve. His political and legal savvy combined with his knowledge of military matters augmented her own experience. He remained her political advisor and personal partner until his death in 1982.
She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George H. W. Bush in 1989 in addition to the U.S. Air Force's top award, the American Spirit Award, in recognition of her contributions as a "great American patriot". She was also presented with a Doctor of Laws honorary degree from Rutgers University in addition to 93 other honorary degrees. She attended Colby College and was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority.
Senator Smith is prominent not only for her many firsts as a woman, but also for her early principled opposition to the tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy. On June 1, 1950, she gave her Declaration of Conscience [1] speech on the floor of the Senate, earning McCarthy's permanent ire and the nickname "Moscow Maggie" from his staff. In 1954, when McCarthy attempted to challenge her seat by sponsoring a primary challenger, the Maine voters rejected the effort. She was the first (and as yet only) woman chair of the Senate Republican Conference, 1967–1972.
Janis Benson portrayed Senator Smith in the 1998 miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.
Patricia Neal dramatized Senator Smith's Declaration of Conscience speech in the 1978 television movie Tail Gunner Joe.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Brief biography at the US Senate
- Margaret Chase Smith Library
- Brief biography the University of Maine
- "Declaration of Conscience" ~ Audio clip ~ (PDF)
| Preceded by Clyde H. Smith |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd congressional district 1940–1949 |
Succeeded by Charles Pembroke Nelson |
| Preceded by Wallace H. White, Jr. |
U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Maine 1949–1973 |
Succeeded by William Hathaway |
| Preceded by ?Milward L. Simpson? |
Oldest living U.S. Senator ?June 10, 1993? - April 29, 1995 |
Succeeded by Jennings Randolph |
