Maine’s leaders make a difference

With the approach of a presidential election and thoughts turning toward who will be elected on Nov. 4 to lead the nation, I’d like to take us back in time to Maine leaders who have distinguished themselves and made a difference not only for Maine, but also for our nation.

Throughout history, Maine residents have been become leaders in many fields, taking with them the passion and ability to accomplish goals that help others. Before we look at the political leaders, let’s take some time to reflect on those who have made an impact to our state or country outside of the political realm.

In the field of sports, Louis Sockalexis, born in 1871 on Indian Island, in 1897 was the first American Indian baseball player to play on a major league team, and set the stage for others to follow.

Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby, born in 1854 in Philips, was passionate about the outdoors and went to Washington, D.C., to speak in favor of a guide registration law, which was passed in 1897. Crosby is credited with being awarded the first guiding license in the state of Maine.

Dorothea Dix, born in 1802 in Hampden, was deeply concerned about the living conditions of Maine’s homeless, the hospitalized, and the mentally ill. Her advocacy for these citizens of need resulted in the founding of 32 state hospitals.

In the political arena, Maine’s leaders always have been known for their ability to serve well and make a difference. Hannibal Hamlin, born in 1809 in Paris Hill, was one of our earliest notables as vice president to Abraham Lincoln.

Percival Baxter, born in 1876 in Portland, became the governor in 1920 and served for one term, ending in 1924. Baxter supported the conservation of the Katahdin wilderness and attempted to get the Maine Legislature to buy the mountain while he was governor. However, it wasn’t until 1930 that he personally purchased 6,000 acres of wilderness, including Mount Katahdin, and donated the land a year later to the state. His donation was made with the understanding that: 1) the park should forever remain in its “natural state;” 2) the park would be a sanctuary for “birds and beasts;” and 3) the park “shall be held by the State in trust forever.” Over a period of 32 years, Baxter donated a total of 201,018 acres to the state! (Finding Katahdin, p. 264) The state named the land area Baxter State Park in 1933 in honor of Percival Baxter and his tremendous generosity.

Margaret Chase Smith, another famous name in politics, was born in 1897 in Skowhegan. Smith entered politics as Maine’s first woman in Congress in 1940 to finish out her husband’s term when he died of a heart attack. Her political career was long. She served four terms in the House of Representatives, and when elected to the Senate in 1948, she served four six- year terms there until William Hathaway defeated her in the 1972 election. She was the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate, and was also the first woman to have her name placed in nomination for the presidency by a major party. Smith was known for her independence and integrity and in 1950 gave a speech to the Senate that is now famous and called the “Declaration of Conscience.” When Smith completed her service in Washington, D.C., she returned to Maine and set up the Margaret Chase Smith Library in her birthplace, Skowhegan. Smith was awarded the highest honor the nation can bestow on a civilian, “The Medal of Freedom,” which was given to her by President George Herbert Walker Bush.

Although Edmund Muskie, born in 1914 in Rumford, was governor in Maine for one term beginning in 1954, his real fame came as a member of the U.S. Senate. Muskie was the only popularly elected Democratic senator in Maine’s history. As a member of the Senate, Muskie took on the problem of pollution and sponsored many successful bills to help clean up our planet. One such initiative occurred in 1963 when Muskie sponsored the Clean Air Act, which was the first major federal law aimed at fighting air pollution. In 1965, he sponsored The Water Quality Act and the Solid Waste Disposal Act; in 1967 the Air Quality Act; and in 1970, the National Air Quality Act, which required virtually emission-free automobiles by 1975. To top it all off, he was a major sponsor of the Environmental Protection Agency, established in 1970. He went on to become a Democratic nominee for vice president in 1968 and a candidate for the democratic presidential nomination in 1972. In 1980, Muskie served as the United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter.

Finally, our list of Mainers who changed ideas and made a difference by their passion and ability to accomplish their goals must include Rachel Carson. Although Carson was born in 1907 in Springdale, Pa., and grew to love nature on her family’s 65 acre farm there, she eventually found her way to Maine where she wrote her most influential book, “Silent Spring,” which changed the way we used pesticides in agricultural practices in the United States and even the world. Carson loved writing and science and went to school to obtain a degree in zoology. She worked and wrote for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was appointed editor-in-chief of their publications in 1949. In 1953, she resigned her position and bought a cottage in West Southport, Maine, where she did some of her most important writing. Her books, “The Edge of the Sea” and “Silent Spring” were written here in Maine. “Silent Spring” became her most famous book because it touched off the debates between environmentalists and the chemical and pesticide industries on the possible poisoning of the Earth and its wildlife with the pesticide DDT. “Silent Spring” was talked about and read by an enormous audience. In May 1963, President John F. Kennedy’s Special Science Advisory Committee reported that “uncontrollable pesticides are potentially a greater hazard than radioactive fallout.” The report was released just before Rachel Carson died of cancer in the summer 1963. Even though Carson had died, her work had not been forgotten, and in 1972, the use of DDT was banned in the United States. To honor Rachel Carson and her work, the 45-mile Coastal Maine National Wildlife Refuge was renamed in 1970 the “Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.”

These are just a few of the people from Maine who have made a difference in the lives of others, whether in our state, the United States or around the world. Perhaps you have a goal or a passion that you can pursue that will be influential in changing our world views and making a difference in the lives of others. No idea is too small, and no heart is too big!