Joseph E. Brennan Explained

Joe Brennan
Office:Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission
President:Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Term Start:November 10, 1999
Term End:January 1, 2013
Predecessor:William Hathaway
Successor:William P. Doyle
State1:Maine
Term Start1:January 7, 1987
Term End1:January 3, 1991
Predecessor1:Jock McKernan
Successor1:Tom Andrews
Office2:70th Governor of Maine
Term Start2:January 3, 1979
Term End2:January 7, 1987
Predecessor2:Jim Longley
Successor2:Jock McKernan
Office3:Attorney General of Maine
Governor3:Jim Longley
Term Start3:January 2, 1975
Term End3:January 3, 1979
Predecessor3:Jon Lund
Successor3:Richard Cohen
State Senate4:Maine
District4:10th
Term Start4:January 3, 1973
Term End4:January 1, 1975
Predecessor4:Gerard Conley
Successor4:Philip Merrill
State House6:Maine
District6:Portland
Term Start6:January 6, 1965
Term End6:January 6, 1971
Alongside6:11 at-large members
Birth Name:Joseph Edward Brennan
Birth Date:2 November 1934
Birth Place:Portland, Maine, U.S.
Death Place:Portland, Maine, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Spouse:Constance Brennan
Children:2
Education:Boston College (BS)
University of Maine (LLB)
Branch:United States Army
Serviceyears:1953–1955

Joseph Edward Brennan (November 2, 1934 – April 6, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician from Maine. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 70th Governor of Maine from 1979 to 1987 and in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 to 1991.[1] Brennan was a commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission during the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama administrations.

Early life

Brennan was born on November 2, 1934, in Portland, Maine.[2] He lived on Kellogg Street, on the third floor of tenement housing on Munjoy Hill.[3] [4] He was raised in a family of eight children, with his parents being Irish immigrants. Brennan graduated from Cheverus High School,[5] Boston College, and the University of Maine School of Law. Brennan served in the United States Army from 1953 to 1955.

Government service

Brennan won election to the Maine House of Representatives in 1964, and served three terms. When first elected to the Maine House he did not own a car and hitchhiked up from Portland.[6] In 1970, he was elected county attorney for Cumberland County. When he was District Attorney, his Munjoy Hill house was shot up, with bullets landing by his infant daughter. This led Brennan to support the ban on assault-style weapons in the United States.[7] He was elected to the Maine Senate in 1972.

Brennan ran for governor of Maine in 1974; he lost the Democratic nomination to George J. Mitchell.[8] The Maine Legislature selected Brennan to be the Maine Attorney General on January 2, 1975.[9] As attorney general, Brennan took part in negotiations with both Wabanaki tribes and the federal government on what became the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1980, a federal law enacted during the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Brennan ran for governor again in 1978, winning the primary and general elections. Brennan was reelected in a landslide in 1982, serving as governor from 1979 to 1987. As governor, Brennan launched education reforms, pressed for tough highway safety measures, and helped to establish the Finance Authority of Maine. Among the notable people Brennan appointed as governor were renowned Maine U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell and future Governor of Maine Janet T. Mills, whom Brennan appointed as the first female district attorney in the New England region.[10] [11]

In 1986, Brennan ran for the U.S. House in and defeated Republican Rollin Ives with 53% of the vote.[12] After serving two terms in the House, Brennan ran for governor again in 1990, losing to Republican John McKernan.[13] He ran again in 1994, losing to Independent Angus King, but placing second, ahead of Republican Susan Collins.[14] He faced Collins in another statewide election in 1996, running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Bill Cohen,[15] which Collins won.[16]

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.[17] He was re-nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed for a second term at the FMC in 2004.[18]

Personal life and death

Joe married Connie LaPointe Brennan in 1994. Joe had two children :J. B. Brennan, who is a 25-year veteran of the United States Secret Service, and Dr. Tara Brennan, who holds a Doctorate of Psychology from LIU Brooklyn.[19]

Brennan died of natural causes at his home in Munjoy Hill, on the night of April 6, 2024, at the age of 89.[20] [21]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Book: Congressional Record: Daily Digest of the 100th Congress, First Session . Washington, D.C. . United States Government Printing Office . 1987 . Internet Archive.
  2. Web site: Joseph E. Brennan – The Blaine House, Home of Maine's Governors. Matt. Hunt. blainehouse.org. April 7, 2024. April 7, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240407181813/https://blainehouse.org/?view=article&id=97:joseph-e-brennan&catid=8. live.
  3. Web site: Boyhood Home of Governor Brennan. March 26, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130127220325/http://www.maineirishheritagetrail.org/brennanboyhoodhome_047.shtml. January 27, 2013. dead.
  4. News: Joe Brennan, Democratic former governor of Maine and US congressman, dies at 89. David. Sharp. Associated Press. April 6, 2024. April 6, 2024. April 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240406204745/https://apnews.com/article/maine-governor-joe-brennan-death-obituary-e77b9d65ce57a8722780c2acad1c4f65. live.
  5. Maine . Official Congressional Directory . 1987 . 100 . 88 . April 1, 2020 . U.S. Government Printing Office.
  6. Web site: Brennan, McKernan have similar pasts > Gubernatorial candidates took comparable political paths to Blaine House. Bangor Daily News. October 20, 1990. April 6, 2024.
  7. Web site: Senate races draw national leaders> Kennedy's visit boost for Brennan. Bangor Daily News. October 19, 1996. April 6, 2024. August 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190815130054/https://archive.bangordailynews.com/1996/10/19/senate-races-draw-national-leaders-kennedys-visit-boost-for-brennan/. live.
  8. News: Mitchell will face Erwin in November. Kennebec Journal. June 12, 1974. 1. newspapers.com. April 6, 2024. April 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240406184841/https://www.newspapers.com/article/kennebec-journal-mitchell-will-face-erwi/144885379/. live.
  9. News: Legislature under way: Brennan, Scribner selected for posts. The Bangor Daily News. January 2, 1975. 1. newspapers.com. April 6, 2024. April 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240406184426/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bangor-daily-news-legislature-under/144885070/. live.
  10. Web site: Office of the Maine AG: Biography of Attorney General Janet T. Mills. maine.gov. en. April 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20120326161401/http://www.maine.gov/ag/about/message.shtml. March 26, 2012. live.
  11. News: Janet Mills' mission: Break yet another glass ceiling. Portland Press Herald. September 16, 2018. Colin. Woodard. April 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20181119051649/https://www.pressherald.com/2018/09/16/janet-mills-mission-break-yet-another-glass-ceiling/. November 19, 2018. live.
  12. News: Brennan celebrates bittersweet victory. Journal Tribune. November 5, 1986. 1. newspapers.com. April 8, 2024. April 8, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240408190920/https://www.newspapers.com/article/journal-tribune-brennan-celebrates-bitte/145010084/. live.
  13. Web site: How Maine voted: Governor's races 1990 – 2018. October 5, 2022. Press Herald. April 6, 2024. April 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240406185144/https://www.pressherald.com/2022/10/05/how-maine-voted-governors-races-1990-2018/. live.
  14. Web site: Unfettered By Party, He's Set To Govern. The New York Times. November 18, 1994. April 6, 2024. December 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221205145600/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/18/us/unfettered-by-party-he-s-set-to-govern.html. live.
  15. News: Republicans Hope Senate Candidate Can Go Against The Grain In Maine. David S.. Broder. Washington Post. October 24, 1996. April 6, 2024. August 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170828214705/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/10/25/republicans-hope-senate-candidate-can-go-against-the-grain-in-maine/1cfc4b87-430d-4062-82e6-7797712830c4/. live.
  16. Web site: Maine Sends Second GOP Woman To Senate. November 5, 1996. CNN.com. April 6, 2024.
  17. President Clinton Names Joseph. E. Brennan as Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission. The White House. February 3, 1999. April 6, 2024. April 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240406190329/https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1999/02/1999-02-03-joseph-e-brennan-named-to-federal-maritime-commission.html. live.
  18. Web site: Bush names Democrats to federal boards – UPI Archives. UPI.
  19. Web site: Obituary of Joseph Brennan. April 8, 2024. Bangor Daily News. April 9, 2024. April 9, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240409014634/https://obituaries.bangordailynews.com/obituary/joseph-brennan-1089543873. live.
  20. Web site: Joseph Brennan, former Maine governor, congressman and political leader, dies at 89. April 6, 2024. Press Herald. April 6, 2024. April 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240406180207/https://www.pressherald.com/2024/04/06/joseph-brennan-former-maine-governor-congressman-and-political-leader-dies-at-89/. live.
  21. Web site: Former Maine governor Joseph Brennan dies at 89. David. Ledford. April 6, 2024. FOX 22/ABC 7. April 6, 2024. April 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240406185253/https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/former-maine-governor-joseph-brennan-dies-at-89/article_917254a6-f444-11ee-b5cd-bf02c99e95b1.html. live.

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