Joseph E. Brennan

For other people named Joseph Brennan, see Joseph Brennan (disambiguation).

Joseph Brennan
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 1st district
In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1991
Preceded by	Jock McKernan
Succeeded by	Thomas Andrews
70th Governor of Maine
In office January 3, 1979 – January 7, 1987
Preceded by	Jim Longley
Succeeded by	Jock McKernan
Attorney General of Maine
In office January 2, 1975 – January 3, 1979
Governor	Jim Longley
Preceded by	Jon Lund
Succeeded by	Richard Cohen
Personal details
Born	Joseph Edward Brennan (1934-11-02) November 2, 1934 Portland, Maine, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Boston College University of Maine

Joseph Edward Brennan (born November 2, 1934) is an American Democratic Party politician from Maine. He served as the 70th Governor of Maine from 1979 to 1987. He is a former commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission.

Born in 1934 in Portland, Maine, Brennan lived on Kellogg Street on Munjoy Hill. Brennan attended Boston College and the University of Maine School of Law, and became Cumberland County District Attorney before winning election to the Maine House of Representatives (1965–1971) and the Maine Senate (1973–1975). His first statewide candidacy was for Governor in 1974; he lost the Democratic nomination to George J. Mitchell, who he would later appoint to the U.S. Senate. Appointed State Attorney General in 1975, Brennan ran for Governor again in 1978, winning the primary and general elections. Brennan was reelected in 1982, serving as Governor from 1979 to 1987. In 1986 he ran for the U.S. House in Maine's First Congressional District and won with 53% of the vote.

After two terms in the House, Brennan ran for Governor again in 1990, losing to Republican John McKernan. He ran again in 1994, losing to Independent Angus King, but placing second, ahead of Republican Susan Collins. He would face Collins in another statewide election in 1996, running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Bill Cohen, a race which Collins won.

In 1999, President Clinton nominated Brennan to serve as a commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission, a small independent agency that regulates shipping between the U.S. and foreign countries. He was renominated (by President Bush) and confirmed for a second term at the FMC in 2004.

Electoral history

Maine U.S. Senate Election 1996

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Susan Collins	298,422	49.2
	Democratic	Joe Brennan	266,226	43.9
	Green	John Rensenbrink	23,441	3.9

Maine Gubernatorial Election 1994

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Angus King	180,829	35
	Democratic	Joe Brennan	172,951	34
	Republican	Susan Collins	117,990	23

Maine Gubernatorial Election 1990

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John R. McKernan	243,766	47%	−
	Democratic	Joe Brennan	230,038	44%	−
	Independent	Andrew Adam	48,377	9%	−

Maine Gubernatorial Election 1982

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joe Brennan	281,066	61%	−
	Republican	Charles Cragin	172,949	38%	−

Maine Gubernatorial Election 1978

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joe Brennan	176,493	48%	−
	Republican	Linwood E. Palmer, Jr.	126,862	34%	−
	Independent	Herman Frankland	65,889	18%	−

External links

• United States Congress. "Joseph E. Brennan (id: B000798)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.