BOOTHBAY HARBOR – Stanley R. Tupper of Boothbay Harbor, who represented Maine in Congress from 1961 to 1967 and served in other local, state and federal posts, died Friday at age 84.

Tupper died in a local hospital surrounded by his family, his widow, Jill Kaplan Tupper, said Sunday.

Tupper led a life of distinguished service, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe and former Gov. John McKernan said in a statement.

“He always stood up as a strong and forthright voice for Maine, and he was a testament to the finest ideals of public service,” their statement said.

Tupper served in the Legislature in 1953-54 and later held posts as assistant attorney general and state commissioner of sea and shore fisheries. He served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and later returned to Maine. He shared a law practice with his wife.

A native of Boothbay Harbor, Tupper graduated from Hebron Academy in Maine before attending Middlebury College in Vermont. He served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946 and later earned a law degree from LaSalle Extension University in Chicago.

In addition to local and state posts he held, Tupper was appointed U.S. commissioner general with the rank of ambassador to the Canadian World Exhibition in 1967, and served on the International Commission for Northeast Atlantic Fisheries in 1975-76.

Among his proudest accomplishments was organizing the Boothbay Regional Lobstermen’s Co-Op, Mrs. Tupper said. He was co-author of a book that analyzed U.S.-Canadian relations, and also wrote a collection of memoirs about people he had met through the years.

But the most fun job he ever had, Tupper told his wife, was border patrolman in Texas and Maine.

“He was 21, they gave him a Stetson, a horse and a badge, and no other job ever quite measured up to that,” his widow said.

Tupper also is survived by a son and daughter. At his request, there will be no funeral service.