Olympia Snowe
Olympia Snowe United States Senator from Maine In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2013 Preceded by George J. Mitchell Succeeded by Angus King Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 Preceded by John Kerry Succeeded by John Kerry First Lady of Maine In office February 24, 1989 – January 8, 1995 Preceded by Constance Brennan Succeeded by Mary Herman Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd district In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1995 Preceded by William Cohen Succeeded by John Baldacci Member of the Maine Senate In office 1977–1979 Member of the Maine House of Representatives In office 1975–1977 Personal details Born Olympia Jean Bouchles (1947-02-21) February 21, 1947 (age 67) Augusta, Maine Political party Republican Spouse(s) (1) Peter Snowe (deceased) (2) John R. McKernan, Jr. Residence Falmouth, Maine Alma mater University of Maine (B.A.) Occupation Senator Religion Eastern Orthodox Christian Signature Website www.olympiaslist.org Olympia Jean Snowe (born February 21, 1947) is an American politician who was a United States Senator from Maine from 1995 to 2013. Snowe, a member of the Republican Party, became widely known for her ability to influence the outcome of close votes, including whether to end filibusters. In 2006, she was named one of America's Best Senators by Time Magazine. Snowe was famously known for her ability to compromise and her strong sense of bipartisanship. On February 28, 2012, Snowe announced that she would not seek reelection in November 2012, and retired when her third term ended on January 3, 2013. She cited hyper-partisanship leading to a dysfunctional Congress as the reason for her retirement from the Senate. Her seat went to popular former Governor Angus King, an independent who won the election to succeed her; King caucuses with the Democrats.