Edmund Muskie

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edmund Muskie
Muskie in 1980
58th United States Secretary of State
In office
8 May 1980 – 20 January 1981
PresidentJimmy Carter
DeputyWarren Christopher
Preceded byCyrus Vance
Succeeded byAlexander Haig
United States Senator
from Maine
In office
3 January 1959 – 7 May 1980
Preceded byFrederick Payne
Succeeded byGeorge J. Mitchell
64th Governor of Maine
In office
5 January 1955 – 2 January 1959
Preceded byBurton M. Cross
Succeeded byRobert N. Haskell
Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the Budget
In office
3 January 1975 – 8 May 1980
Preceded byNone
Succeeded byFritz Hollings
Personal details
Born
Edmund Sixtus Muskie

(1914-03-28)28 March 1914
Rumford, Maine
Died26 March 1996(1996-03-26) (aged 81)
Washington, D.C.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Jane Muskie
Children5
Alma materBates College
Cornell University
ProfessionLawyer
Signature
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1942–1945
RankLieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War II

Edmund Sixtus "Ed" Muskie (28 March 1914 – 26 March 1996) was an American politician. He was a member of the Democratic Party.

Muskie was born in Rumford, Maine to a Polish family.

He was the Governor of Maine serving from 1955 to 1959, and a United States Senator from 1959 to 1980. He served as United States Secretary of State from 1980 to 1981 under the Carter administration. President Jimmy Carter gave Muskie the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981.[1]

Muskie died in Washington, D.C. from congestive heart failure. He was 81 years old.

Early life[change | change source]

Muskie was born in Rumford, Maine on 28 March 1914.[1] His father, Stephen Marciszewski (mar-chih-SHEF-ski) immigrated to the United States in 1903 and changed his name to Muskie.[1]

Education[change | change source]

Muskie graduated from Bates College in 1936. He graduated from Cornell University Law School in 1939. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He served in the Atlantic and Asiatic-Pacific Theaters from 1942 to 1945. [1][2]

Career[change | change source]

Muskie was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in the 1968 presidential election. Muskie later ran for President in the 1972 presidential election. After announcing that Muskie had lost, Muskie chocked with anger and began to cry.[3] Afterwards, Muskie refused the fact that he cried at simply said that "melted snow flakes" in eyes and not tears.[4] Muskie later said the reason he cried was that because newspapers insulted his wife.[3][4]

Muskie held the highest office (Secretary of State) by a Polish American in U.S. history.[5] If Muskie won the Presidential election in 1972, Muskie would have been the first Polish-American President of the United States.[6]

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed Muskie to serve in the Tower Commission to investigate the Iran-Contra affair.

Personal life[change | change source]

He was married to Jane Gray from 1940 until his death in 1996.[7] He died of congestive heart failure. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Edmund Muskie". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  2. "Muskie, Edmund Sixtus, (1914 - 1996)". United States Congress. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Remembering Ed Muskie". PBS.org. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Yes, there's crying in politics". NBC News.com. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  5. "EDMUND MUSKIE Biography - Politicians". Findbiography.com. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  6. "Obituary: Edmund Muskie". Independent.co.uk. 27 March 1996. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  7. "Jane Muskie, 77, widow of Maine senator". Boston.com. Retrieved 17 October 2013.

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Edmund Muskie at Wikimedia Commons