Joseph E. Brennan
(1934- ) was a U.S. Representative born in Portland on November 2, 1934. He attended public schools, then received a B.S. from Boston College in 1958, and an LL.B. from the University of Maine Law School in 1963.
State public service began as a member Maine House of Representatives (1965-1971), followed by terms in the Maine State Senate (1973-1975), State Attorney General (1975-1977). He was elected Governor of Maine in 1978 and served from January 3, 1979 to January 3, 1987.
Read his first and second inaugural addresses.
Brennan was elected as a Democrat to the One Hundredth and One Hundred First Congresses (January 3, 1987-January 3, 1991). He was not a candidate for reelection in 1990, but was an unsuccessful nominee for Governor that year. In his last bid for office, he was an unsuccessful candidate in 1996 for election to the United States Senate. Following former Maine U.S. Senator William D. Hathaway, Brennan served as Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission from 1999 to 2013.
Additional resources
*Hunt, H. Draper. “Governor Joseph E. Brennan,” The Blaine House, Home of Maine Governors. Augusta: Friends of the Blaine House, 1994, pp. 169-175.
Press releases of the Maine Office of the Governor. Maine State Archives, Augusta, ME. Governors press releases explaining actions and positions on current issues and initiatives. The records are from the administrations of Kenneth M. Curtis (1967-1975), Joseph E. Brennan (1979-1987), John R. McKernan (1987-1995), and Angus S. King , Jr.(1995-2003). Public statements on current issues released to the media by the Governor’s Press Secretary. No legal restrictions on access. Maine State Archives continues to receive materials for this collection.
Photo of Brennan as Maritime Commissioner from Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E._Brennan (accessed February 19, 2019) [Public Domain]
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*Cited in Friends of the Blaine House at http://blainehouse.org/governors(accessed April 25, 2011) (accessed April 25, 2011)