William Hathaway

William Hathaway
United States Senator from Maine
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979
Preceded by	Margaret Smith
Succeeded by	William Cohen
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1973
Preceded by	Clifford McIntire
Succeeded by	William Cohen
Personal details
Born	(1924-02-21) February 21, 1924 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic Party
Alma mater	Harvard University Harvard Law School
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army Air Corps
Years of service	1942–1946
Battles/wars	World War II

William Dodd Hathaway (born February 21, 1924) is an American Democratic Party politician from Maine.

He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He served in World War II in the United States Army Air Corps, where he was shot down while bombing the Ploiești, Romania oil fields during Operation Tidal Wave and was a prisoner of war for over two months. He was awarded the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war he attended Harvard University, graduating in 1949, and Harvard Law School, graduating in 1953. He then moved to Maine and practiced law in Lewiston.

He served as Assistant County Attorney for Androscoggin County from 1955 to 1957, and was a Hearing Examiner for the State Liquor Commission from 1957 to 1961.

A Democrat, in 1964 he was elected to the U.S. House, and he served from 1965 until 1973. This was a time of resurgence for Democrats in Maine, at that time a traditionally Republican state. This same period saw the growth of the political careers of Edmund S. Muskie and Kenneth M. Curtis.

In 1972 Hathaway was the successful Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat held by Margaret Chase Smith. In 1973, Hathaway was one of the three senators who opposed the nomination of Gerald Ford to be Vice President. (The other two were Thomas Eagleton and Gaylord Nelson.) Hathaway served from 1973 to 1979. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1978, losing to William Cohen.

Hathaway resided in the Washington, D.C. area after leaving the Senate. In 1990 he was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to the Federal Maritime Commission, and he served as Chairman from 1993 to 1996.

He retired in 1996 and continues to live in the Washington, D.C. area. Hathaway was married to Mary Lee Bird of Horse Shoe, North Carolina and Akron, Ohio for over 61 years until her death in 2007. Hathaway had two children, Susan and Fred.

External links

• William Hathaway at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Clifford McIntire	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd congressional district 1965–1973	Succeeded by William Cohen
United States Senate
Preceded by Margaret Smith	United States Senator (Class 2) from Maine 1973–1979 Served alongside: Edmund Muskie	Succeeded by William Cohen