One-hundred sixteen different people have served as Presidents of the Maine Senate since 1820. Until 1880, terms were typically for one year only. In 1880 the Maine Constitution was amended to provide for two-year terms for legislators instead of the one-year terms established in 1820. With that, typical terms for president quickly moved to two…
Born September 27, 1912, he was a native of Pittsfield where his father, Lewis O. Haskell, was owner and publisher of the Pittsfield Advertiser. When he was only two years old his father died and his mother took the family to Portland where Nathaniel graduated from Deering High School. Determined to be a lawyer, he…
Maine state legislator and attorney, has made history in the state legislature three times. In 1980 she was elected the first woman House Majority Leader; in 1996, the first woman Speaker of the House; and in 2006 Senate Majority Leader, only the third woman to serve in that position, preceded by Nancy Randall Clark in…
The Senate currently has 35 members, although the number has varied over the years. The President of the Senate presides over that body and is constitutionally eligible to act as Governor in the event of the chief executive’s disability or death. Its smaller number of members compared to the House (35 v. 151) make each…