Portrait of Edmund S. Muskie
Edmund S. Muskie (1914-1996) was a Maine governor (1955-1959), U.S. senator (1959-1980), and secretary of state (1980-1981) in the President Jimmy Carter administration. He was Hubert Humphrey’s vice-presidential running mate in the 1968 election and in 1972, ran a short-lived campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Maine State Museum 72.19.51 Joe Phelan photo
As governor of Maine, Edmund Muskie focused on environmental concerns. He continued to support clean air and water legislation while he served in Congress, where he was known as “Mr. Clean.” During his time as secretary of state, the State Department negotiated the release of 52 American hostages held in Iran, and so ended the Iran Hostage Crisis. Edmund Muskie was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981.