Coretta Scott King was remembered Tuesday by Maine’s top politicians and civil rights activists as an iconic leader who carried on her husband’s fight for justice and racial equality with grace, dignity and determination.

“We’ve lost a great leader,” Gov. John Baldacci said after learning that the 78-year-old widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. died during the night at a holistic health center in Mexico.

“She was among the giants of the civil rights movement on whose shoulders we still stand,” Baldacci said. “Through tragedy and triumph, she embodied integrity, courage and commitment to justice.”

Many of Maine’s top leaders met with King when she visited South Portland in October 2004 to keynote a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the local chapter of the NAACP.

In her speech, King pointed to the need for political empowerment as a way to help minorities achieve gains in jobs and education. Maintaining that the right to vote should be absolute, she said ending the disenfranchisement of convicted felons is part of the unfinished business of the civil rights movement, and she singled out Maine and Vermont for being the only states that allow prison inmates to vote.

King told the 450 guests at the dinner that correcting racial injustice does not benefit only people of color.

“When we eliminate the vestiges of discrimination, we make our society more of a meritocracy in which all people have a chance to fulfill their potential,” she said.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, who introduced King at the dinner, remembered the civil rights leader’s dedication to bringing hope and empowerment to millions in America and throughout the world.

“She worked ceaselessly carrying her husband’s message and the legacy of those unimaginably brave civil rights champions who faced violence armed not with guns or knives, but with faith and courage,” Snowe said.

“Our hearts are heavy today,” the NAACP’s Portland branch said in a statement, adding that it was deeply honored to spend time with King during her only visit to Maine.

“Mrs. King worked tirelessly to dismantle the harsh vestiges of racism and discrimination, and her life and legacy will continue to inspire future generations to never give up,” the civil rights organization said.

Greater Bangor Area NAACP President James Varner issued a statement Tuesday calling on King’s children to “carry on a legacy of their parents: to work to guide America to make the dream for justice, equal rights and fair treatment a reality in an America where all races, all nationalities and all creeds can live together as brothers and sisters.”

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said King “will be remembered for her dedication, determination, and her grace and she will be deeply missed.”

U.S. Rep. Tom Allen said the greatest tribute that Americans can pay to King and her husband is to “carry on the work they inspired and turn back the present threats to their monumental accomplishments.”

Asserting that her passion for economic and racial equality will not be forgotten, U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud said King “was an amazing woman who kept her husband’s dream alive by keeping sight of the challenges that remain before our country.”