Kenneth M. Curtis

Kenneth Merwin Curtis (born February 8, 1931) is an American attorney, Democratic politician, and diplomat. He was the Maine Secretary of State from 1965-1966, the Governor of Maine from 1966-1974, and the United States Ambassador to Canada from 1979 to 1981. Curtis is a member of the Democratic Party and is currently Of Counsel at the Curtis Thaxter law firm in Portland, Maine, which he founded in 1975.

For the American singer and actor, see Ken Curtis.
Kenneth M. Curtis
United States Ambassador to Canada
In office
October 5, 1979 – January 20, 1981
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byThomas O. Enders
Succeeded byPaul H. Robinson Jr.
Chair of the Democratic National Committee
In office
January 21, 1977 – January 27, 1978
Preceded byRobert S. Strauss
Succeeded byJohn C. White
68th Governor of Maine
In office
January 5, 1967 – January 2, 1975
Preceded byJohn H. Reed
Succeeded byJames B. Longley
Secretary of State of Maine
In office
1965–1966
GovernorJohn H. Reed
Preceded byPaul A. MacDonald
Succeeded byJoseph T. Edgar
Personal details
Born
Kenneth Merwin Curtis

(1931-02-08) February 8, 1931
Leeds, Maine, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Pauline "Polly" Curtis
ChildrenSusan L. Curtis
Angela Curtis Hall

Early life and education

Curtis was born in Curtis Corner, Leeds, Maine to Archie, a fifth-generation farmer of the family land there, and Harriet (Turner) Curtis. He attended Cony High School in Augusta and graduated in 1949.[1] He then attended Maine Maritime Academy and received a Bachelor of Science in 1952.[2]

Curtis served in the United States Naval Reserve from 1953-1955[3] and was a lieutenant commander in the Korean War before leaving the Navy to pursue a law degree. He was admitted to the Maine Bar in 1958[1] and received a LL.B. from Portland University School of Law in 1959[4][3] and a LL.D. from Bates College in 1981.

Career

Curtis's political career began in 1956 when he worked for James Oliver's Democratic campaign for Maine's 1st congressional district. Oliver lost to Robert Hale in 1956 but won in 1958 with Curtis serving as campaign manager.[1] Curtis worked as Oliver's assistant from 1959-1961.[3]

In 1963, Curtis was appointed Maine Coordinator for the Area Redevelopment Administration by President John F. Kennedy and served in that position until 1964[3][4] when he campaigned for the 1st district seat but lost to Stan Tupper.[3][1]

Curtis served as the Maine Secretary of State from 1965 to 1966.[4]

In 1966, Curtis defeated Carlton Reed, the Maine Senate President and former Speaker of the House, in a primary election to challenge incumbent Republican Governor John Reed. In the 1966 Maine gubernatorial election, with campaign help from Robert F. Kennedy, Curtis defeated Reed 53%-47%.[5]

Governor of Maine

First term, 1967-1971

Curtis was the 68th Governor of Maine and the youngest governor in the United States at the time.

In 1968, Curtis merged the University of Maine at Orono with five teachers' colleges throughout the state, creating the University of Maine System.[5] In 1969, Curtis and the Republican legislature enacted Maine's first income tax, which as of 2021 still provides the bulk of the state's revenue. The administration also enacted several notable environmental protection measures, such as the Site Location of Development Act, and created the Department of Environmental Protection.[5]

Curtis chaired the New England Governors’ conference from 1969 to 1970[4][3][6] and was Chairman of the Environmental Task Force of the National Governors' Conference in the early 1970s.[6]

In the 1970 Maine gubernatorial election, Curtis narrowly beat Maine Attorney General James Erwin by a margin of only 890 votes to win a second term.

Second term, 1971-1975

Curtis was the first Maine governor to serve two four-year terms.[5] In 1972, he reorganized the Maine state government to cabinet system, replacing 150 independent agencies with 16 departments.[5] The heads of these departments would be appointed by each currently-serving governor, whereas previously they had remained in their positions after being appointed by former governors.[7]

According to the Maine Historical Society, Curtis was "one of a few sitting governors to climb Mt. Katahdin and canoe the Allagash River."[8]

Post-gubernatorial career

In 1975, Curtis founded the Curtis Thaxter law firm with several colleagues,[9] and he served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1977 to 1978.[4][6]

Curtis served as the United States Ambassador to Canada from 1979 to 1981.[4] His tenure coincided with the Iran hostage crisis and the Canadian Caper, and Curtis handled communication regarding the status of six American diplomats being sheltered by Canadian embassy staff in Tehran and eventually rescued by the CIA.[7]

Curtis served as the 11th president of Maine Maritime Academy from 1986 to 1994.[4][6][10]

Family

Curtis met Pauline "Polly" Brown[11] while they both worked at Sears Roebuck in downtown Portland. They were married in 1956.[5]

The Curtises had two children, Susan (born 1959) and Angela (born 1961),[12] both of whom were born with cystic fibrosis. On Tuesday, July 20, 1970, Susan died at Central Maine General Hospital in Lewiston of respiratory failure.[13] She was 11 years old. Since Ken Curtis was serving his first term as governor, the family received numerous monetary donations in Susan's name, and friends and political supporters encouraged the Curtises to start a nonprofit organization with the funds. After researching specific needs throughout Maine, the newly-formed Susan L. Curtis Foundation opened Camp Susan Curtis in Stoneham, Maine in 1974 to serve economically disadvantaged Maine children.[14]

The Curtises second daughter, Angela Curtis Hall, who was also born with cystic fibrosis, died in 1996. She was 34.[15][12]

The Curtises semi-retired to Florida from 1997-2017[5] and then returned to Maine. As of January 2021, they live in Scarborough. Curtis is Of Counsel at Curtis Thaxter, the Portland law firm he founded in 1975.[6]

Appointments & Honors
BoardsHonorary Degrees
Board of Directors, KeyCorp[6][2]
Board of Directors, Bowater Incorporated[6][2]
Board of Directors, New England Telephone Co.[6]
Alberta Northeast Gas Ltd. Advisory Board[6][2]
Board of Trustees, Susan L. Curtis Foundation[2]
Council of Former American Ambassadors[2]
Board of Visitors, University of Maine School of Law[2]		University of Maine
University of New Brunswick
Bowdoin College
Colby College
Bates College
University of New Hampshire
Mount Allison University
Saint Joseph's College of Maine
St. Francis College
Unity College[2]

References
  1. "Curtis, Kenneth oral history interview". Bates College SCARAB. 21 July 1998. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. "Kenneth M. Curtis '52". Maine Maritime Academy. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  3. "Curtis, Kenneth M." Maine An Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  4. "Gov. Kenneth Merwin Curtis". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  5. Rooks, Douglas (24 December 2019). "Ken Curtis: Present meets past". The Portland Phoenix. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  6. "Kenneth M. Curtis, Of Counsel". Curtis Thaxter Attorneys At Law. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  7. Mills, Paul H. (28 May 2019). "Governor Kenneth Curtis and the emergence of the modern Maine government". The Daily Bulldog. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  8. "Governor Kenneth Curtis, Augusta, ca. 1967". Maine Memory Network. Maine Historical Society. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  9. "Our Story". Curtis Thaxter Attorneys At Law. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  10. Journal of Commerce Staff (22 November 1993). "CURTIS QUITS AS PRESIDENT OF MAINE MARITIME SCHOOL". JOC.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  11. "Kenneth M. Curtis". Friends of the Blaine House. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  12. "Angela Curtis Hall". Find A Grave. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  13. "SUSAN LEE CURTIS". The New York Times. 21 July 1970. p. 35. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. Nemitz, Bill (17 July 2011). "Camp becomes legacy of former governor's child". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  15. Fiorentino, Anna (March 2020). "Camp Has Made All the Difference". Maine. The Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
Political offices
Preceded by
Paul A. MacDonald		 Secretary of State of Maine
1965–1966		 Succeeded by
Joseph T. Edgar
Preceded by
John H. Reed		 Governor of Maine
1967–1975		 Succeeded by
James B. Longley
Party political offices
Preceded by
Maynard Dolloff		 Democratic nominee for Governor of Maine
1966, 1970		 Succeeded by
George J. Mitchell
Preceded by
Robert S. Strauss		 Chairman of the Democratic National Committee
1977 – 1978		 Succeeded by
John C. White
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Thomas O. Enders		 Ambassador to Canada
1979–1981		 Succeeded by
Paul H. Robinson, Jr.
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