Governor Kenneth Merwin Curtis

KENNETH M. CURTIS was born in Curtis Corner, Maine, on February 8, 1931. He received a B.S. in 1952 from the Maine Maritime Academy, and an LL.B. from Portland University in 1959. Curtis is a veteran of the Korean War, where he served as a lieutenant commander with the U.S. Naval Reserve. Prior to serving as governor, Curtis was the Maine Coordinator for Area Redevelopment Administration and then Secretary of State of Maine. He was elected Governor of Maine in 1966 and reelected in 1970. When elected, he was the youngest governor in the nation. During his tenure, Governor Curtis chaired the New England Governors’ conference from 1969 to 1970. He also chaired the Democratic National Committee from 1977 to 1978 and was president of the Maine Maritime Academy from 1986 to 1994. Governor Curtis also served as U.S. Ambassador to Canada from 1979 to 1981 and he was a delegate from Maine at the Democratic National Convention in 2000.