Governor Carl Elias Milliken

CARL E. MILLIKEN, the fifty-first governor of Maine, was born in Pittsfield, Maine on July 13, 1877. His education was attained at Bates College, where he graduated in 1897, and at Harvard University, where he earned his master’s degree two years later. Milliken entered politics in 1906, serving as a member of the Maine House of Representatives, a position he held three years. He also served as a member of the Maine State Senate from 1910 to 1916. Milliken won the 1916 Republican gubernatorial nomination, and then went on to win the general election by a popular vote, becoming the first governor to be nominated by the direct primary. He was reelected to a second term in 1918. During his tenure, World War I issues were dealt with, such as upping the production of military provisions, the recruitment of troops, the creation of the Maine Home Guard, and the initiation of wartime legislation. After completing his term, Milliken left office on January 5, 1921, and retired from political life. He returned to his duties as secretary of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association. Governor Carl E. Milliken passed away in Springfield, Massachusetts on May 1, 1961.