Showing 301 - 310 of 436 Items

Date: 2009-05-20

Creator: Kelly R Horwitz

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Kelly (Riordan) Horwitz was born in Lewiston, Maine, on August 28, 1967, and grew up in nearby Livemore Falls. Her father, John Peter Riordan, was a truck diver, and her mother, Vickie Johnson Riordan, worked for a construction company at the paper mill in Livemore Falls. Kelly attended Livemore Falls High School and Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine, and earned her degree in education and social policy at Northwestern University. She became involved in politics in college, and when George Mitchell became Senate majority leader in 1988, Horwitz began working for Mitchell in the mail room. She moved on to work in Mitchell’s office as a legislative correspondent, a speech writer, a member of his floor staff, and helped organize his reelection campaign. In the spring of 1990, she was selected by the Maine State Society for the Cherry Blossom Festival. She left Mitchell’s staff to attend law school at the University of Virginia and later worked on a vetting committee for vice presidential candidates for Al Gore. At the time of this interview, she was an attorney practicing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Horwitz’s education in Maine and at Northwestern University; how she began working for Mitchell; her positions as mail room clerk and legislative correspondent; working as special assistant to organize Mitchell’s positions for reelection; transition from Mitchell’s personal staff to floor staff; Cherry Blossom Festival; Horwitz’s responsibilities as a member of the floor staff and contact with Mitchell; partisanship in the Senate; Mitchell as majority leader; Mitchell’s relationship with Senator Dole; Mitchell’s relationship with Senator Bill Cohen; Mitchell’s role in Horwitz’s law school plans; and his commitment to education.

Date: 2009-11-16

Creator: Edward 'Ed' L King

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Edward L. “Ed” King was born November 7, 1928, in Fort Worth, Texas, to Edgar L. and Zula Mae (Birch) King. He served in the Army during World War II and the Korean War and was a career officer from 1945 to 1969. He became executive director of the Coalition for National Defense and Military Policy and testified often before the U.S. House and Senate. He was hired by Senator Mike Mansfield, and in 1975 he became Maine Senator Bill Hathaway’s administrative assistant. He also worked for Senators Tsongas, Byrd, and Mitchell, focusing most specifically on Central America issues. He also worked for Mitchell on the Democratic Policy Committee and on foreign policy issues, staying on with Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle after Mitchell’s retirement and himself retiring in early 1997. King is the author of The Death of the Army: A Pre-Mortem (1972).

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: family and educational background; military career; knowledge of foreign policy issues, especially in Central America; working with several senators: Mansfield, Byrd, Tsongas, Mitchell, Hathaway; Iran-Contra and Oliver North; Democratic Policy Committee; traveling with Senator Mitchell: Mexico; issues in Haiti, Spain, Russia, China and MFN (Most Favored Nation); description of staff working relationships with Senator Mitchell and how the offices functioned; Mitchell’s memory and ability at extemporaneous speech; trademark issue; White House visits with Mitchell during Bush I and Clinton presidencies; Mitchell’s personal attributes and effective negotiating; and the relationship between Senators Dole and Mitchell.

Date: 2019-06-01

Creator: Nicholas Lewis

Access: Open access

Nicholas “Nick” Lewis (Class of 1974) discusses arriving at Bowdoin sight-unseen and adjusting to life at a rural, all-male college. He describes the atmosphere of Hyde Hall during his first year and the “crazed” drug and alcohol usage on campus. He reminisces about his deep involvement in theater, a passion he pursued throughout a yearlong study-away experience. Lewis speaks about the transition towards coeducation, which occurred during his sophomore year, and the resulting changes he felt on campus. He comments on his fraternity, Alpha Rho Upsilon as well as the effects of the Greek system on Bowdoin more broadly. Lewis remembers his class’s year-end festival The Carnival of the New World and the eclectic musical concerts of Professor Elliott Schwartz.

Date: 2008-04-29

Creator: James 'Jamie' E Kaplan

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

James E. “Jamie” Kaplan was born in Bronxville, New York, on March 6, 1951. He and his two brothers grew up in Nanuet, New York, with his father, a developer and building contractor, and his mother, a public relations and publicity officer for a vocational center in Rockland, New York. Jamie was graduated from Brown University and attended Georgetown University Law School briefly. After returning home and working several jobs, he moved to California to attend the University of California, Berkley Law School in 1975. Upon graduation from law school, he worked as a law clerk for Judge Edward Gignoux, who was the federal district judge for the state of Maine. The following year, he accepted a position as a research associate at Harvard Law School, then practiced law in Washington, DC, at Shea & Gardner. He worked for Senator Mitchell on the Congressional Committee Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair and later moved to Maine to practice law. At the time of this interview he was Executive Director of the Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness and living in Brunswick, Maine.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: childhood and educational background; Brown University; Georgetown University Law School; University of California, Berkley Law School; clerking for Judge Edward T. Gignoux; research associate at Harvard Law School; Shea & Gardner Law Firm; meeting George Mitchell; meeting Senator Mitchell’s staff; Iran-Contra; relationship with Senator Mitchell; admiration for Senator Mitchell’s preparation tactics; change in relationship with Senator Mitchell; playing tennis with Mitchell; Mitchell’s competitiveness; and the opportunity to become general counsel to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Date: 2009-06-04

Creator: Lauren G Higgins

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Lauren (Griffin) Higgins was born on February 21, 1964, in Waterville, Maine, to Lawrence and Gail Griffin. Her grandfather was Eddie Atkins, husband of George Mitchell’s sister, Barbara. Lauren attended Waterville High School and earned her degree in biology from College of the Holy Cross. She interned in Senator Mitchell’s office and subsequently was hired as assistant to his personal secretary, Gayle Cory. When Mitchell was elected majority leader, Lauren became Martha Pope’s assistant in the Senate Majority Leader’s Office. After six months there, she returned to Maine to attend law school but returned to Washington, D.C. in 1993 and began working on the Democratic Policy Committee. In 1997, she moved to the legislative office at the Department of Health and Human Services, and in 2001 she became senior legislative analyst at the National Institute of Health, Office of Legislative Policy and Analysis.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: the Lebanese community in Waterville; growing up in a politically active family and knowing of George Mitchell; the attitude of Mainers to politics and civic duty; interning in Mitchell’s Senate office; working as Gayle Cory’s assistant; the various relationships Higgins had with different staff members; working in the majority leader’s office; Higgins’ experience in law school; working on the Democratic Policy Committee and its responsibilities; Mitchell’s retirement announcement; comparing Senators Mitchell and Daschle as leader; Higgins’s experience at the Department of Health and Human Services; the National Institutes of Health; farewell luncheon for Donna Beck anecdote; public response to Iran-Contra and Mitchell’s questioning of Oliver North; reactions that the office received after Mitchell delivered the Democratic response to the State of the Union; how Mitchell made sure to make time on a busy day to have lunch with a little boy whose Make a Wish hope was to have lunch with him; Donna Beck as the office manager; Gayle Cory’s relationship with Mitchell; and Mitchell’s legacy.

Date: 2009-05-27

Creator: Christopher 'Chris' C Jennings

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Christopher Charles Jennings was born in Athens, Ohio, to Lucille and Eugene Jennings, both musicians. He grew up in Ohio and attended Miami University (Ohio). After graduating, he received a fellowship to work for Senator John Glenn in Washington, D.C. and later worked for Senators Melcher and Pryor. He worked on the Senate Aging Committee and became director by 1992. He also worked on the U.S. Bipartisan Commission on Comprehensive Health Care (the Pepper Commission). In 1992, he helped with Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign, focusing on domestic policy. He also worked on Clinton’s presidential transition team, then took on the role of congressional liaison for health care reform for the duration of Clinton’s presidency. At the time of this interview, he maintained his own consulting business in Washington, D.C. serving a variety of clients who are pursuing improved health care policy.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Jennings’ history working for the Senate; the Senate Aging Committee; the Pepper Commission; the 1992 presidential campaign; the 1993-1994 health care debate; the Bipartisan Policy Center; first impressions of Senator Mitchell; Mitchell’s role on the Finance Committee and as majority leader; Mitchell’s running for leader and David Pryor’s support; working with Hillary Clinton on health care reform; Mitchell’s dedication to getting health care reform legislation through Congress and his rejection of being considered for an opening on the Supreme Court; the possibility of using reconciliation to get the bill passed; Senator Moynihan’s role with health care reform; sending the legislation to Congress already written; other issues facing President Clinton; the Republican majority in 1994; and Senator Mitchell’s role in 1990s health care reform.

Date: 2010-03-15

Creator: George S Isaacson, Margaret M Isaacson

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

George Steven Isaacson was born in New York on October 20, 1948, and grew up in Auburn, Maine. His father worked in a lumber business in Livermore Falls with his uncles. George was graduated from Bowdoin College and attended law school at the University of Pennsylvania, where he met his future wife, Margaret. After graduating, he clerked for Judge Thomas E. Delahanty and then went to work for a law firm in Portland, Maine. George Mitchell interviewed him for an attorney’s position with Jensen Baird law firm. At the time of this interview, he was a senior partner at Brann and Isaacson in Lewiston, Maine, an adjunct professor at Bowdoin College, and a lecturer at the University of Maine School of Law. Margaret (McGaughey) Isaacson was born in Detroit, Michigan, on May 29, 1948. She lived in New York, attended college in California and law school at the University of Pennsylvania. Margaret practiced law in Boston for four years and then accepted a clerkship with Frank Coffin in Maine. When George Mitchell was appointed U.S. attorney and permitted a third assistant U.S. attorney position, Margaret was hired. At the time of this interview, Margaret had served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for thirty-two years.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: George’s childhood in Auburn; growing up Jewish in Auburn; Margaret’s childhood; their meeting in law school; George’s clerkship in Maine; George’s recollections of Mitchell at Jensen Baird; Margaret’s moving to Maine for a clerkship with Frank Coffin and then as assistant U.S. attorney under Mitchell; the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Jim Brannigan; Mitchell’s management style; anecdote about Margaret’s working on drug cases with Mitchell; Mitchell’s appointment to federal judgeship; Mitchell’s 1974 gubernatorial campaign; Mitchell and rumors about the Supreme Court; Mitchell’s talent for litigation and his process in preparing a case; and Bowdoin College.

Date: 2008-11-08

Creator: Jeanne Hollingsworth

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Jeanne Hollingsworth was born in McCook, Nebraska, on September 18, 1948, to Barbara (Davis) and John Robert Hollingsworth. She spent her early years in Holbrook, Nebraska, on her father’s cattle ranch with five siblings. The family moved to Kearney, Nebraska, when she was twelve, and from there they moved to Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada, where Jeanne attended high school and her father was in the furniture business. She attended North Georgia Military College for two years and became interested in politics because of the Vietnam War and the peace movement. She traveled for some years between Maine and Georgia, finally settling in Maine and becoming increasingly interested in organic gardening and MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association). It was through her political activities with that group and the pesticide issue that she met Tom Bertocci. She was hired to work for Senator Mitchell in the Rockland, Maine, state field office in 1986, established good veterans’ relations, and remained until 1994. She worked in Washington, DC, for six years, first with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and then at USAID. She returned to Maine in 2000 when the administration changed and has continued to be involved with local politics.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: family and educational background; attending the North Georgia Military College; the peace movement; becoming a hippie and waitressing; the Atlanta Underground; living in Atlanta in the early ‘70s; Volkswagen bus trip to Maine; gardening and Craig; MOFGA and organic agriculture politics; working for Senator Mitchell as a case worker in the field out of the Rockland office; satisfaction with veterans’ issues and Agent Orange; getting Mitchell to visit island high schools; the veterans’ events and Mitchell’s passing out the Pearl Harbor medals; Portland and Russian sailors involved with a joint fishing venture as a trade issue; the surprise and disappointment of Mitchell leaving office; points about working as a senate aid in the field; working in Washington; and reconnecting with Mitchell employees.

Date: 2010-05-20

Creator: Jane F O'Connor

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Jane Frances O’Connor was born on March 13, 1960, in Augusta, Maine. She was one of twelve children born to Barbara Louise (Murray) and Dr. Francis J. O’Connor, both from Dorchester, Massachusetts. Her father was head of radiology at Augusta General Hospital; her mother was an artist and musician who stayed at home while her children were young. After growing up in Augusta in a nonpolitical family, Jane attended the University of Southern Maine and, later, Trinity College in Washington, DC. In the summer of 1980, she became an intern for Beverly Bustin-Hatheway, accompanying her around the state as a field representative for Senator George Mitchell, and she spent much of the summer helping pack up Senator Muskie’s papers for repository retention. In June 1981, O’Connor accepted a full time position as receptionist in Senator Mitchell’s office in Washington, DC, remaining in that position for about eight years. After Mitchell’s departure from the Senate, she went to work for a trade association.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Beverly Bustin’s state legislative campaign; Senate office staff in DC; Mitchell’s sense of humor; telephone story; bread story; brownies story; description of Senator Mitchell’s various offices and staff roles; Mitchell’s Senate retirement; his frugality; the apartment/video store story; Mitchell Institute; Gayle Cory; Martha Pope; and education of staff.

Date: 2009-08-28

Creator: Thomas 'Tom' H Allen

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Thomas Hodge "Tom" Allen was born April 16, 1945, in Portland, Maine, to Charles W. “Charlie” and Genevieve (Lahee) Allen. His great-grandfather was John Calvin Stevens, a well known Maine architect. Tom was graduated from Bowdoin College and went on to be a Rhodes Scholar, studying at Oxford in the class immediately behind Bill Clinton's. He worked on Muskie’s 1970 senatorial reelection campaign and on the early part of the presidential campaign. He later attended Harvard Law School and subsequently returned to Maine to practice law. He worked on Mitchell's 1974 gubernatorial campaign. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1996-2008, vacating the seat for an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate. Since 2009, he has served as president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers. He is married to his childhood sweetheart, Diana.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Allen’s first recollections of Senator Mitchell; tensions in Ed Muskie’s staff; working with George Mitchell in Muskie’s 1972 presidential campaign; Allen’s involvement in Mitchell’s 1974 gubernatorial campaign; Allen’s characterization of George Mitchell socially; Allen’s friendship with Bill Clinton; Mitchell’s involvement in the peace process in Northern Ireland; how Allen has seen the character of Congress change over the years; and Allen working with Republican senators from Maine.