Joseph E. Brennan

Joseph Edward Brennan (born November 2, 1934) is an American Democratic Party lawyer and politician from Maine. He served as the 70th Governor of Maine from 1979 to 1987. He is a former commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission.

Joseph Brennan
Brennan in 2011
Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission
In office November 10, 1999 – January 1, 2013
Nominated by	Bill Clinton (1999) George W. Bush (2004)
Preceded by	William Hathaway
Succeeded by	William P. Doyle
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 1st district
In office January 7, 1987[1] – January 3, 1991
Preceded by	Jock McKernan
Succeeded by	Thomas Andrews
70th Governor of Maine
In office January 3, 1979 – January 7, 1987
Preceded by	Jim Longley
Succeeded by	Jock McKernan
Attorney General of Maine
In office January 2, 1975 – January 3, 1979
Governor	Jim Longley
Preceded by	Jon Lund
Succeeded by	Richard Cohen
Member of the Maine Senate from the 10th district
In office January 3, 1973 – January 1, 1975[2]
Preceded by	Gerard Conley[3]
Succeeded by	Philip L. Merrill[4]
District Attorney of Cumberland County, Maine
In office 1971–1973
Member of the Maine House of Representatives for Portland
In office January 6, 1965 – January 6, 1971 11 members elected At-Large
Personal details
Born	Joseph Edward Brennan November 2, 1934 Portland, Maine, United States
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Constance Brennan
Children	2
Education	Boston College (BS) University of Maine (LLB)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1953-1955

Born in 1934 in Portland, Maine, Brennan lived on Kellogg Street on Munjoy Hill.[5] Brennan attended Cheverus High School,[6] Boston College and the University of Maine School of Law, and became Cumberland County District Attorney before winning election to the Maine House of Representatives (1965–1971) and the Maine Senate (1973–1975). When first elected to the Maine House he did not own a car and hitchhiked up from Portland.[7] His first statewide candidacy was for Governor in 1974; he lost the Democratic nomination to George J. Mitchell, whom he would later appoint to the U.S. Senate. Appointed State Attorney General in 1975, Brennan ran for governor again in 1978, winning the primary and general elections. Brennan was reelected in 1982, serving as governor from 1979 to 1987. In 1986 he ran for the U.S. House in Maine's First Congressional District and won with 53% of the vote. When he was District Attorney his Munjoy Hill was shot up with bullets landing by his infant daughter, this led Brennan to support the ban on assault style weapons in America.[8]

After two terms in the House, Brennan ran for governor again in 1990, losing to Republican John McKernan. He ran again in 1994, losing to Independent Angus King, but placing second, ahead of Republican Susan Collins. He would face Collins in another statewide election in 1996, running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Bill Cohen, a race which Collins won.

In 1999, President Bill Clinton nominated Brennan to serve as a commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission, a small independent agency that regulates shipping between the U.S. and foreign countries. He was renominated (by President Bush) and confirmed for a second term at the FMC in 2004.

Electoral history

Maine U.S. Senate Election 1996

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Susan Collins	298,422	49.2%
	Democratic	Joe Brennan	266,226	43.9%
	Green	John Rensenbrink	23,441	3.9%

Maine Gubernatorial Election 1994

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Angus King	180,829	35%
	Democratic	Joe Brennan	172,951	34%
	Republican	Susan Collins	117,990	23%

Maine Gubernatorial Election 1990

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John R. McKernan	243,766	47%	-
	Democratic	Joe Brennan	230,038	44%	-
	Independent	Andrew Adam	48,377	9%	-

US House election, 1988: Maine District 1

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph E. Brennan	167,623	60.11%
	Republican	Edward S. O'Meara	111,125	36.78%
Majority			79,864	26.44%
Turnout			278,748
	Democratic hold		Swing

US House election, 1986: Maine District 1

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph E. 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
	Democratic gain from Republican

Maine Gubernatorial Election 1982

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joe Brennan	281,066	61%	-
	Republican	Charles Cragin	172,949	38%	-

Maine Gubernatorial Election 1978

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joe Brennan	176,493	48%	-
	Republican	Linwood E. Palmer, Jr.	126,862	34%	-
	Independent	Herman Frankland	65,889	18%	-

References

1. Congressional record, 1987
2. http://lldc.mainelegislature.org/Open/LegRec/106/Senate/LegRec_1973-01-03_SP_p0032-0044.pdf
3. http://lldc.mainelegislature.org/Open/LegRec/105/Senate/LegRec_1971-01-06_SP_p0022-0033.pdf
4. http://lldc.mainelegislature.org/Open/LegRec/107/Senate/LegRec_1975-01-01_SP_pA0011-0017.pdf
5. "Boyhood Home of Governor Brennan". Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
6. "Maine". Official Congressional Directory. U.S. Government Printing Office. 100: 88. 1987. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
7. https://archive.bangordailynews.com/1990/10/20/brennan-mckernan-have-similar-pasts-gubernatorial-candidates-took-comparable-political-paths-to-blaine-house/
8. https://archive.bangordailynews.com/1996/10/19/senate-races-draw-national-leaders-kennedys-visit-boost-for-brennan/

External links

• United States Congress. "Joseph E. Brennan (id: B000798)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Appearances on C-SPAN