Edmund Muskie
Edmund S. Muskie, Jimmy Carter, Washington, D.C., 1977. Photo: Edmund S. Muskie Archives & Special Collections Library.
Edmund Muskie is one of Maine's most significant politicians having served in numerous noteworthy roles, such as US Senator, Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter, and the Governor of Maine.
Muskie was born in Rumford and was the eldest son of Stephen Marciszewski, a Polish immigrant, and Josephine Czarnecka of Buffalo, New York. He spent his youth in the Western Mountains, flanked by the Androscoggin and Swift rivers, enjoying the outdoor activities the landscape had to offer.
After earning a degree at Bates, Muskie attended Cornell Law School and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1939. The following year, he opened his own law practice in Waterville.
Muskie was drafted into the US Navy during World War II and served on the USS Brackett escorting conveys in the Pacific Theater. After his discharge in December 1945, Muskie returned to Maine, his law practice, and ran for a seat in the Maine House of Representatives.
Muskie's political career focused on making life better for Mainers, and for Americans as a whole. He was a champion of environmental protection and preservation, and the passing of his Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act Amendments had significant positive impacts on his hometown of Rumford and other mill towns throughout Maine. He supported the civil rights movement, publicly opposed J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, and as Secretary of State, negotiated with Iran for the release of American hostages in 1979.
In addition to the memorial dedicated to Muskie in Rumford, his memory and service is honored annually on March 28; the federal building in Augusta is named after him; and the Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library at Bates College holds his papers.
