Olympia Snowe

Olympia Jean Snowe was born on February 21, 1947, in Augusta, Maine. Early in her life, Snowe faced significant personal losses, becoming orphaned at a young age and being raised by relatives in Auburn, Maine. She attended Edward Little High School and later graduated from the University of Maine in Orono in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. Her political career began in 1973 when, at 26, she successfully ran for her late husband Peter Snowe’s seat in the Maine House of Representatives. She continued to serve in the Maine House through 1977, and then in the Maine Senate from 1977 to 1979.

Snowe transitioned to national politics in 1978, winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for Maine’s 2nd congressional district, a position she held for eight terms until 1995. During her time in the House, she served on key committees, including the House Budget and House Foreign Affairs committees. In 1994, she was elected to the U.S. Senate, becoming the first woman to serve in both houses of a state legislature and both houses of the U.S. Congress. She was re-elected easily in 2000 and 2006, notably winning every county in Maine in each Senate race. In the Senate, Snowe chaired the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and served on the Armed Services, Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Foreign Relations committees. She was recognized for her centrist views and commitment to bipartisanship by Time magazine, which named her one of “America’s 10 Best Senators” in 2006.

Throughout her career, Snowe was known for her independent political stances, sometimes diverging from her own party. She played a significant role in defusing partisan conflicts, such as her involvement with the “Gang of 14” in 2005, which prevented the use of the “nuclear option” in judicial nominations. She also championed various legislative initiatives aimed at expanding health care access, balancing budgets, and addressing sexual harassment in the military. In 2012, Snowe announced her retirement from the Senate, citing increasing hyperpartisanship in Congress as her primary reason. After leaving the Senate in January 2013, she continued to advocate for bipartisan solutions, joining the Bipartisan Policy Center as a senior fellow and co-chairing its Commission on Political Reform.