Olympia Snowe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Olympia Snowe
|
|
|---|---|
Snowe in October 2009
|
|
| United States Senator from Maine |
|
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2013 |
|
| Preceded by | George Mitchell |
| Succeeded by | Angus King |
| Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | John Kerry |
| Succeeded by | John Kerry |
| First Lady of Maine | |
| In role February 24, 1989 – January 5, 1995 |
|
| Governor | John McKernan |
| Preceded by | Constance Brennan |
| Succeeded by | Mary Herman |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd district |
|
| In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1995 |
|
| Preceded by | Bill Cohen |
| Succeeded by | John Baldacci |
| Member of the Maine Senate from the 12th district |
|
| In office January 5, 1977 – January 3, 1979 |
|
| Preceded by | Elmer Berry |
| Succeeded by | Barbara Trafton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Olympia Jean Bouchles
February 21, 1947 Augusta, Maine, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
Peter Snowe
(m. 1969; died 1973)John McKernan
(m. 1989) |
| Education | University of Maine (BA) |
| Signature |  |
Olympia Jean Snowe (born Bouchles on February 21, 1947) is an American politician and businesswoman from Maine. As a member of the Republican Party, she served as a United States Senator for 18 years, from 1995 to 2013.
Snowe was known for being a moderate, meaning she often worked with both Republicans and Democrats. She was seen as a key vote in the U.S. Senate. In 2006, Time magazine called her one of "America's Best Senators."
In 2012, Snowe announced she would not run for re-election. She said she was frustrated that the two political parties were fighting too much, making it hard for the Congress to get things done. After retiring, she joined the Bipartisan Policy Center, an organization that works to bring both parties together to solve problems.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Olympia Snowe was born Olympia Jean Bouchles in Augusta, Maine. Her father was an immigrant from Sparta, Greece, and her mother's parents were also Greek.
Tragedy struck her family when she was young. Her mother died of breast cancer when Olympia was eight. Less than a year later, her father died from heart disease. As an orphan, she moved to Auburn, Maine, to live with her aunt and uncle. She was raised with their five children.
Snowe graduated from the University of Maine in 1969 with a degree in political science. That same year, she married Peter Snowe, who was a member of the Maine House of Representatives.
A Career in Politics
Snowe's political career began after another personal tragedy. In 1973, her husband Peter was killed in a car accident. Friends and community leaders encouraged her to run for his seat in the Maine House of Representatives. At age 26, she won the election.
She was re-elected in 1974 and then won a seat in the Maine Senate in 1976. She quickly became a rising star in Maine politics.
U.S. House of Representatives
In 1978, Snowe was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, which is one of the two chambers of the U.S. Congress. She was the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the House at the time. She served there from 1979 to 1995.
In 1989, Snowe married John R. McKernan Jr., who was the Governor of Maine. This meant that for six years, she was both a U.S. Representative in Washington, D.C., and the First Lady of Maine.
U.S. Senate
In 1994, Snowe ran for the U.S. Senate and won by a large margin. She was easily re-elected in 2000 and 2006, winning every county in Maine each time. Over her entire 35-year career in elected office, Snowe never lost an election.
As a senator, Snowe was known for her independent thinking. She was a Republican but did not always vote with her party. This made her an important person in close votes. She was often called a "centrist" or a "moderate."
In 1999, she voted to acquit President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial. She believed his actions were wrong but did not think they were serious enough to remove him from office.
Snowe was the first Republican woman to have a full-term seat on the powerful Senate Finance Committee. She also served on the Armed Services Committee, where she was the first woman to lead its Subcommittee on Seapower.
A Moderate Voice in the Senate
Snowe was often at the center of major debates in Washington. Because she was willing to work with both parties, her support was often needed to pass new laws.
The Gang of 14
In 2005, Snowe was part of a group of 14 senators—seven Republicans and seven Democrats—called the Gang of 14. At the time, the two parties were in a standoff over President George W. Bush's judicial nominees. Democrats were using a tactic called a filibuster to block votes, and Republicans were threatening to change the rules to stop them.
The Gang of 14 created a compromise. They agreed to allow votes on some of the nominees while preserving the filibuster for "extraordinary circumstances." Their deal helped the Senate avoid a major political fight and allowed it to confirm Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito.
Retirement from the Senate
On February 28, 2012, Snowe surprised many people by announcing she would not run for a fourth term. She said she was tired of the extreme partisanship, where politicians from opposing parties are unwilling to work together.
In her statement, she said, "I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change." She felt the constant fighting was preventing the government from solving the nation's problems.
Life After Politics
After leaving the Senate in 2013, Snowe has continued to advocate for bipartisanship. She joined the Bipartisan Policy Center to help find ways for Republicans and Democrats to cooperate.
She also serves on the board of directors for the investment firm T. Rowe Price. In 2013, she announced her support for same-sex marriage.
Following the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021, Snowe called for President Donald Trump to resign from office to help the country heal.
Images for kids
-
Snowe and President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office in September 1986
-
Snowe and the U.S. Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, in January 2006
-
Snowe and fellow U.S. Senator from Maine Susan Collins touring damaged areas of Maine in June 2007
-
In March 2008, a giant snowwoman was built in Bethel, Maine, and named Olympia in honor of Senator Snowe.
-
Snowe (front row, right) with the other 15 female U.S. Senators in 2007.
-
Snowe with fellow U.S. Senator from Maine Susan Collins in June 2007.
.jpg)
_the_Honorable_Dr._Donald_C._Winter,_meet_in_the_boardroom_at_Supervisor_Shipbuilding,_Bath_Iron_Works.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Olympia Snowe para niños
- Rockefeller Republican
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
- Women in the United States Senate
