Horace Hildreth | |
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| United States Ambassador to Pakistan | |
| In office May 19, 1953 – May 1, 1957 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | John M. Cabot |
| Succeeded by | James M. Langley |
| Chair of theNational Governors Association | |
| In office July 13, 1947 – June 13, 1948 | |
| Preceded by | Millard Caldwell |
| Succeeded by | Lester C. Hunt |
| 59thGovernor of Maine | |
| In office January 3, 1945 – January 5, 1949 | |
| Preceded by | Sumner Sewall |
| Succeeded by | Frederick G. Payne |
| 109thPresident of the Maine Senate | |
| In office 1943–1945 | |
| Preceded by | Francis H. Friend |
| Succeeded by | George D. Varney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Horace Augustus Hildreth (1902-12-02)December 2, 1902 Gardiner, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | June 2, 1988(1988-06-02) (aged 85) Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Katherine |
| Children | Hoddy |
| Education | Bowdoin College(BA) Harvard University(LLB) |
Horace Augustus Hildreth (December 2, 1902 – June 2, 1988) was an American diplomat, businessman andRepublican politician. He served as the Governor of Maine for two two-year terms, and served asUnited States Ambassador to Pakistan under presidentDwight D. Eisenhower. He also founded the company that becameDiversified Communications.
Hildreth was born inGardiner, Maine, the son of anattorney. Hildreth attended local schools before graduating fromBowdoin College in the class of 1925 and receiving hisLL.B. fromHarvard University in 1928.
InBoston he joined the prestigious law firm ofRopes, Gray, Best, Coolidge and Rugg before returning to Maine with the desire for a political career. Elected to theMaine House of Representatives in 1940 and theMaine Senate in 1942, he served as 109th President of the Maine Senate for the 1943–1944 term.
He won the Republican gubernatorial primary in1944 and was elected the 59thgovernor of Maine by a landslide margin. Reelected in1946 by another large margin, he was a supporter of theUniversity of Maine and education for veterans.
From 1947 to 1948 he chaired theNational Governors Conference and proposed that the retailsales tax be the exclusive province of the federal government as a trade-off for the elimination of federal gas, inheritance and alcohol taxes.
In1948 he lost the Republican nomination forU.S. Senator toMargaret Chase Smith, thus ending his political career. In 1949 he founded Community Broadcasting Service, a company which in 1953 would establish Maine's first television station,WABI-TV. Community Broadcasting Service later became known asDiversified Communications, a company which is still in existence today and still controlled by the Hildreth family.
From the time of his loss of the senatorial nomination until his appointment asAmbassador to Pakistan, Hildreth served as President ofBucknell University inLewisburg, Pennsylvania.
From 1953 to 1957, Hildreth served the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration asUnited States Ambassador toPakistan. His daughter Josephine Hildreth married the son of theIskandar Mirza,President of Pakistan.[1][2]
In1958, he attempted a political comeback and he was the Republican candidate for Governor, but was defeated by DemocratClinton Clauson.
In 1967, he bought a controlling share of aPortland radio station, but withdrew from active participation in its operation in 1974.
Hildreth was a resident ofCumberland Foreside when he died on June 2, 1988, of aheart attack atMaine Medical Center in Portland.[3][4]
Hildreth's son,Hoddy Hildreth, later became a member of theMaine House of Representatives and a leading conservationist.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the Maine Senate 1943–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Maine 1945–1949 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theNational Governors Association 1947–1948 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Maine 1944,1946 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Maine 1958 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Pakistan 1953–1957 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
