Skowhegan’s Margaret Chase Smith

by Ruth McGowan Knowles

Margaret Chase Smith was born December 14, 1897, in the small town of Skowhegan, the daughter of George Emery and Carrie Murray Chase. Margaret Chase Smith was the only lady to have served her state in both the United States House of Representatives (1940-1949) and the United States Senate (1949-1973) ― four terms in both chambers.

Margaret made history because she was so different from others in Washington. You can recall moments when Smith’s human side was demonstrated. When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, she removed her rose (which she always wore) and silently placed it on a desk where he had sat as a Senator. She was on hand to applaud

A life of courage

Democrat Patrick McGowan in 1990 when he launched his campaign against Olympia Snowe. When asked by the media why she was there, she replied, “Skowhegan is a small town, and I have been a friend of the McGowan family for years.” The late Governor John H. Reed of Maine remembered visiting Washington D.C. in 1939 with a group of high school students from Maine. The group didn’t have a place to stay to spend the night, so Mrs. Smith invited them to stay at her house. She even got up the next morning and made them breakfast!

Margaret married Clyde Smith on May 14, 1930. Clyde Smith lived in a thirty-two room mansion in Washington, D.C. When he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, Margaret was very excited to move to Washington. Clyde didn’t like Washington and wanted to return to Maine and run for Governor. Unfortunately, he died suddenly on April 8, 1940, at the age of 63 years. It was Clyde’s deathbed wish that Margaret take his place in Congress.

Margaret stated: “A life of public service was thrust on me; I didn’t have time to choose whether to be a homemaker or something else.” She never considered any other place except Skowhegan, her residence during her thirty-two years living in Washington.

Margaret was a strong military supporter. She worked hard to make certain that the United States would be ready for any crisis or attack. Therefore, she always maintained a great interest and support of the shipbuilding work being done at Bath Iron Works. When Margaret began her senate career in 1949, she chose Major Bill Lewis as her administrative assistant for the 24 years she worked in the senate. Lewis had been a lawyer and a staff member of the Congressional Armed Services and Naval Affairs Committees. Margaret said, “I always wrote my own speeches, but I would discuss things I felt should be talked about, with Bill.”

In the late 1940s something called the Red Scare was sweeping the United States. Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin began unjustly accusing many Americans of being Communists. Innocent people were losing their jobs. No one dared to speak up against Senator McCarthy ― no one except Margaret. One June 1, 1950, in the Senate, Margaret gave her now famous “Declaration of Conscience speech”: The right to criticize; the right to hold unpopular beliefs; the right to protest; and the right for individual thought. The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood. Otherwise, one of us could call our souls our own.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) and Margaret Chase Smith didn’t always see eye to eye, but we found them later agreeing with one another. In 1964 Margaret made the following announcement in the town of Canaan. She began her speech by explaining why she should not run for President: She didn’t have enough money, most thought there was no chance she could win, and many thought a woman wouldn’t have the energy for a national campaign. “Because of these very impelling reasons against my running, I decided that I shall!” It was Senator George Aiken from Vermont who nominated Margaret for President of the United States of America. Even though Margaret knew she couldn’t win, she didn’t want to miss seeing her name placed in nomination for presidency. After losing the Presidential nomination, Margaret served in Con(cont. on page 26)

(cont. from page 25) gress for eight more years.

Many years later on June 6, 1988, when St. Albans was celebrating its 175th Anniversary, we invited Margaret Chase Smith to be our “Senior Grand Marshall.” Margaret was 91 years old at the time, and she was very happy to come. This is how I came to know her personally. She invited me to her home in Skowhegan and asked me to go out to dinner with her. Our friendship continued for several years. We enjoyed each other’s company but stayed away from discussing politics. I’ll never forget the day she told me in person that the saddest day of her life was losing her mother in 1952. She said they were always very close. One day her chauffeur wasn’t there, and Margaret said, “Ruth, you are going to have to drive my car today.” I sure didn’t take any shortcuts, and I carefully obeyed all the stop lights!

On Margaret’s 96th birthday in

1993, she was invited to the governor’s mansion in Augusta to a party hosted by Governor John R. McKernan and his wife, Olympia Snowe. Governor McKernan proclaimed December 14 to be Margaret Chase Smith Day in Maine and gave her a framed copy of the proclamation in which he stated that Smith is a true symbol of what is great about Maine and our country. More that a hundred of us turned out for her birthday celebration. Margaret, with a twin- kle in her eyes, said “I’ve never felt better as both Republicans and Democrats are here to show their respect.”

Mrs. Smith passed away on May 30, 1995 on Memorial Day. Former President George H.W. Bush said that day, “My friendship with Mrs. Smith dates to the days when she served in the Senate with my father.” Senator William S. Cohen said, “This country has lost a voice of decency, a person who did not avoid difficult issues and was a friend and confidante.” Two bridges and an elementary school in Skowhegan are named for her, as is a library center that is an extension of her home. Her passing away was just a few hours after the Skowhegan Memorial Day parade passed through her town. She was 97 years old.

Margaret Chase Smith did not witness history, she was history.