She was the first woman to serve in both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate and the first woman to serve in either from Maine. She hailed from Skowhegan, Maine in Somerset County and was an elected official from 1940 through 1972. After her public service she returned to Skowhegan and lived until 1995, to the age of 97, in the Margaret Chase Smith Library, constructed on the banks of the Kennebec River.
Margaret Chase Smith was perhaps best known for wearing a red rose on her dress every day she served in government... and for standing up to the fascism of Joseph McCarthy during the "Red Scare". In her famed, "Declaration of Conscious" in 1949 on the US Senate floor she denounced "the reckless abandon in which unproved charges have been hurled...". She said McCarthyism had "debased" the Senate to "the level of a forum of hate and character assassination." She defended every American's "right to criticize...right to hold unpopular beliefs...right to protest; the right of independent thought.". For this, she became the target of Joseph McCarthy's vicious radicalism. After McCarthy's impeachment, she was heralded for her courage and said " Smears are not only to be expected but fought. Honor is to be earned, not bought." She also said "Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk."
Words our politicians today need to heed...for sure.
The paper mill I worked for was 10 miles up the Kennebec River from the MCS Library. In 1981, our adorable identical twin sons were going on 3 years old and I was working shift work at the pulp mill. It was a great work schedule for raising kids as I had 3 days off every 3 days on. The downside was that half of those on-day were night shifts, from 5:00pm until 5:00am so my circadian rhythms were whacked. For 5 years, my body never knew whether I should be asleep or horseback. But that was OK, because neither did the boys...
We would have lots of adventures. I would get home at 6:00AM and they would be bouncing up and down in their cribs. Connie so looked forward to me being available so she could catch up on some much needed sheep. We would hit the greasy spoons for breakfast and then take a hike or find a bowling alley or a shopping center... anything to extend Connie's sleep cycle and have some fun. One winter day we drove through Skowhegan. It was 8:00 and the Margaret Chase Smith Library was open.
The boys were dressed in over-sized down jackets about 5 sizes too big for them. We had to make the money stretch back then and Connie was good at selecting clothing that the boys would "grow into". They looked like overstuffed blue and green feather pillows. But they didn't seem to mind... Cute as bugs.
I had been checking out the library displays and they were happily running around the book aisles when I I suddenly noticed they were no longer under foot. I quickly looked up and down the aisles for them before panicking as they were nowhere to be found. The velvet red barriers partitioned the main library off from the living area, but that wasn't going to keep me from finding my sons. I crossed the barrier and headed down a long hall, peering into open doors.
At the end of the hall, I heard muffled conversation and I hurried around the corner. There was Senator Margaret Chase Smith sitting in a wheelchair holding Eric and Ryan in her lap. They were deeply engrossed in conversation and I watched as she let them fondle the red rose on her lapel. She smiled up at me as I apologized for my wayward sons, questioned me about who we were and where I worked. She expressed her enthusiasm about the newly reopened paper mill which created so many much needed jobs, wished me well and we were off. Gracious lady.
It was 1989 when I saw her last. I was the Director of Human Resources, had completed an MBA at MIT, 2 years in sales/marketing in Connecticut office and was back at the mill, We were dedicating a new multimillion dollar capital equipment project. It was good for the town, good for the employees, something to celebrate, so we invited local dignitaries to attend.
She looked very frail in her wheelchair. She was over 90 now, but the red rose was still displayed proudly on her lapel and she was in great spirits. I had sent my Safety and Security Chief to escort her to the event and she was so tickled to have been driven up the river by him. His name;
Joseph McCarthy.
God bless the Grand Old Lady.
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