Joseph E. Brennan | |
|---|---|
 Brennan as governor | |
| Commissioner of theFederal Maritime Commission | |
| In office November 10, 1999 – January 1, 2013 | |
| President | Bill Clinton George W. Bush Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | William Hathaway |
| Succeeded by | William P. Doyle |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaine's1st district | |
| In office January 7, 1987 – January 3, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | John R. McKernan Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Andrews |
| 70thGovernor of Maine | |
| In office January 3, 1979 – January 7, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | James B. Longley |
| Succeeded by | John R. McKernan Jr. |
| Attorney General of Maine | |
| In office January 2, 1975 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Governor | James B. Longley |
| Preceded by | Jon Lund |
| Succeeded by | Richard Cohen |
| Member of theMaine Senate from the 10th district | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 1, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Gerard Conley |
| Succeeded by | Philip Merrill |
| Member of theMaine House of Representatives from thePortland district | |
| In office January 6, 1965 – January 6, 1971 Serving with 11 at-large members | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Edward Brennan (1934-11-02)November 2, 1934 Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | April 5, 2024(2024-04-05) (aged 89) Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Connie LaPointe Brennan (m. 1994) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Boston College (BS) University of Maine (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1953–1955 |
Joseph Edward Brennan (November 2, 1934 – April 5, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician fromMaine. A member of theDemocratic Party, he served as the 70thgovernor of Maine from 1979 to 1987 and in theUnited States House of Representatives forMaine's 1st congressional district from 1987 to 1991.[1] Brennan was a commissioner on theFederal Maritime Commission during theClinton,George W. Bush, andObama administrations.
Brennan was born on November 2, 1934, inPortland, Maine.[2] He lived on Kellogg Street, on the third floor of tenement housing onMunjoy Hill.[3][4] He was raised in a family of eight children, with his parents beingIrish immigrants.[4] Brennan graduated fromCheverus High School,[5]Boston College, and theUniversity of Maine School of Law. Brennan served in theUnited States Army from 1953 to 1955.[6]
Brennan won election to theMaine House of Representatives in 1964, and served three terms.[6] When first elected to the Maine House he did not own a car and hitchhiked up from Portland.[7] In 1970, he was electedCumberland County district attorney. During his service as district attorney, his Munjoy Hill house was shot up, with bullets landing by his infant daughter. This led Brennan to support the ban onassault-style weapons in the United States.[8] He was elected to theMaine Senate in 1972.[6]
Brennan ran forgovernor of Maine in1974. That year he became the first candidate in the post-Watergate years to call for campaign finance reform. He also voluntarily disclosed his personal finances.[1] Brennan lost the Democratic nomination toGeorge J. Mitchell.[9] TheMaine Legislature selected Brennan to be theMaine Attorney General on January 2, 1975.[10] As attorney general, Brennan took part in negotiations with bothWabanaki tribes and the federal government on what became the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1980, a federal law enacted during thepresidency of Jimmy Carter.[4] Brennan ran for governor again in1978 and won the election, then was reelected by a wider margin in1982, serving a total of eight years. As governor, Brennan launched education reforms, pressed for tough highway safety measures, and helped to establish the Finance Authority of Maine.[4] Among the notable people Brennan appointed as governor was future Senate Majority LeaderGeorge J. Mitchell, whom Brennan nominated to the US Senate seat formerly occupied byEdmund Muskie upon Muskie's resignation to becomeSecretary of State, and future Governor of MaineJanet Mills,[4] whom Brennan appointed as the first female district attorney in theNew England region.[11][12][4]
In1986, Brennan ran for theU.S. House inMaine's 1st congressional district and defeated Republican Rollin Ives 53% to 44%.[13] in1988 Brennan was reelected to the House by a margin of 63% to 37%.[14]
In Congress Brennan opposed President Ronald Reagan Administration’s interventions in Central America and Iran. he also supported the balanced budget amendment as a Congressman.[2]
Brennan ran for governor again in1990, losing toRepublicanJohn McKernan by 13,728 votes.[15] He ran again in1994, losing to IndependentAngus King by 7,878 votes, but placing second, ahead of RepublicanSusan Collins.[16] He faced Collins in another statewide election in1996, running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated byBill Cohen,[17] which Collins won by 32,196 votes.[18]
In 1999,PresidentBill Clinton nominated Brennan to serve as a commissioner on theFederal Maritime Commission, a small independent agency that regulates shipping between the U.S. and foreign countries.[19] He was re-nominated by PresidentGeorge W. Bush and confirmed for a second term at the FMC in 2004.[20]
Brennan married Connie LaPointe in 1994. He had two children: J.B. Brennan, who is a veteran of theUnited States Secret Service, and Dr. Tara Brennan, who holds a Doctorate of Psychology fromLIU Brooklyn.[21]
Brennan died of natural causes at his home in the Portland neighborhood ofMunjoy Hill (where he grew up), on April 5, 2024, at the age of 89.[6][22]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Susan Collins | 298,422 | 49.2% | ||
| Democratic | Joe Brennan | 266,226 | 43.9% | ||
| Green | John Rensenbrink | 23,441 | 3.9% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Angus King | 180,829 | 35% | ||
| Democratic | Joe Brennan | 172,951 | 34% | ||
| Republican | Susan Collins | 117,990 | 23% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John McKernan Jr. (incumbent) | 243,766 | 47% | ||
| Democratic | Joe Brennan | 230,038 | 44% | ||
| Independent | Andrew Adam | 48,377 | 9% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Brennan (incumbent) | 167,623 | 60.11% | ||
| Republican | Edward S. O'Meara | 111,125 | 36.78% | ||
| Majority | 79,864 | 26.44% | |||
| Turnout | 278,748 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Brennan | 121,848 | 53.16% | |||
| Republican | H. Rollin Ives | 100,260 | 43.74% | |||
| Labor for Maine | Plato Truman | 7,109 | 3.10% | |||
| Majority | 21,588 | 9.42% | ||||
| Turnout | 229,217 | |||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Brennan (incumbent) | 281,066 | 61% | ||
| Republican | Charles Cragin | 172,949 | 38% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Brennan | 176,493 | 48% | ||
| Republican | Linwood E. Palmer, Jr. | 126,862 | 34% | ||
| Independent | Herman Frankland | 65,889 | 18% | ||
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| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Maine 1975–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Maine 1978,1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Maine 1990,1994 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator from Maine (Class 2) 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Maine 1979–1987 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaine's 1st congressional district 1987–1991 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
