Former Maine Gov. Joe Brennan died Friday evening at his home in Portland, Maine, at the age of 89.
Brennan’s career in public service spanned parts of six decades, beginning in 1965. After stints in both houses of the state legislature and a brief period as a district attorney, the Maine Democrat served as the state attorney general before winning gubernatorial elections in 1978 and 1982.
Following his tenure in the governor’s mansion, Brennan won the election to represent Maine’s 1st Congressional District in 1986 and served two terms in the House of Representatives. After an unsuccessful run to return to the governorship in 1990, he spent more than 13 years as a commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission, earning nominations from Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME), whom Brennan appointed as the state’s first female district attorney in 1980, released a statement Saturday expressing her sorrow for the loss and condolences to his family.
“Maine and the nation have lost a great public servant, and I have lost a friend,” Mills said. “… Joe Brennan never stopped working to improve the lives of Maine people.”
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Mills, who is also Maine’s first female governor, credited Brennan with setting her on a path to achieve that feat.
“Gov. Brennan demonstrated for me and others that politics is about building relationships, that public service is not about enriching yourself but about enriching the lives of others, and that the most important relationship is the one we have with the people we serve,” Mills said.
