I was filling out a candidate survey for Ballotpedia and one of the questions asks about political heroes or role models. Two names immediately came to mind… This post is about the first name that came to me!
Margaret Chase Smith
Margaret Chase Smith was a Republican senator from Maine, taking over for her husband when he passed away in 1949. She served 24 years in the U.S. Senate, following more than four terms in the House of Representatives—the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress!
Photo credit: American Rhetoric
Often the only woman in the Senate, Smith chose not to limit herself to “women’s issues,” making her mark in foreign policy and military affairs. She established a reputation as a tough legislator on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Her 1960 reelection bid was the first Senate race where both major-party candidates were women, and in 1964 she became the first woman to actively seek the presidential nomination of a major political party.
On June 1, 1950, Margaret gave perhaps the most important speech of her career. She shared concerns over Communist infiltration along with fellow Senator Joseph McCarthy, but she grew skeptical of his accusations against high ranking officials when he refused to provide evidence to back his claims.
McCarthyism is the term used for “a campaign or practice that endorses the use of unfair allegations and investigations.”
Smith grew increasingly angry about the claims, and frustrated by the way her other fellow Senators allowed it to continue. But instead of attacking Joseph McCarthy directly about his allegations and behavior, Smith took a higher road.
The impassioned speech Smith gave to the President and the nation from defending every American’s “right to criticize … right to hold unpopular beliefs … right to protest.”
In 1973 Smith retired to her home in Skowhegan, Maine, where she died in 1995 at the age of 97.
Her legacy lives on through the Margaret Chase Smith Library and Museum. It is a congressional research library open to qualified scholars that houses a unique collection of approximately 300,000 documents- including correspondence between Senator Smith and leading government officials, as well as constituent correspondence and government reports!
What Are Your Thoughts?
Margaret Chase Smith’s speech gives me goosebumps every time I read it! She showed incredible courage in addressing her mostly male peers about the growing negativity that was brewing around her!
I admire how she refrained from feeding into the chaos and used her wits to confront the toxic polarization that was spreading both firmly and eloquently. Her speech directly prompted a swift change in direction for our federal government, and earned her the respect of her peers.
But I want to know- what are your thoughts about Margaret Chase Smith and her her speech?
Do you have any female role models in politics that you would like me to learn more about?
Let me know in the comments!
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