System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Edmund Muskie
1914 - 1996
Edmund Sixtus Muskie, former Maine U.S. Senator and U.S. Secretary of State, died March 26, 1996. He was 81.
Muskie was born March 28, 1914 in Rumford, Maine. He was the second of six children. The valedictorian of his high school, he attended Bates College where he was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate. He went on to Cornell law school, and began a law practice in 1942. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and served in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during World War II.
After the war, he embarked on a political career, winning a seat in the Maine legislature in successive elections in 1946, 1948 and 1950. He became director of the federal Office of Price Stabilization in 1951.
In 1954, he ran a successful race for Maine governor. Re-elected to another term in 1954, he decided to run for the U.S. Senate in 1956. He became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the state's history.
Muskie was an ardent environmentalist. During his 21 years in the Senate, he served on various committees, including the Environmental and Public Works Committee. He became known as "Mr. Clean" in his advocacy for clean air and water. He also held membership on the Senate Foreign Relations and Governmental Affairs Committees.
Vice President Hubert Humphrey named Muskie as his running mate in the 1968 presidential race. Humphrey lost a close race with Richard Nixon, but Muskie emerged as a media and public favorite. He became the Democratic frontrunner in 1972.
But when caught in a perceived weak moment during a news conference prior to the New Hampshire primary, Muskie openly wept when talking about a recent newspaper article critical of his wife Jane. Despite winning the primary, the crying incident portrayed Muskie as too emotional to wield presidential power, and he subsequently withdrew from the race.
When President Jimmy Carter was looking for someone to become his secretary of state in early 1980, he turned to Muskie who accepted the nomination, and was later confirmed by the Senate. He left office when Carter was defeated by Ronald Reagan in the next election.
In 1981, Muskie joined a Washington, D.C. law firm. He died from heart failure on March 26, 1996 in Washington. His wife, Jane, and five children survived him.
