Allegiance United States Name William Hathaway | Role American Politician Spouse Mary Lee Bird (m. ?–2007) | |
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Full Name William Dodd Hathaway Born February 21, 1924Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. ( 1924-02-21 ) Died June 24, 2013, Washington, D.C., United States Education Harvard College, Harvard University, Harvard Law School | ||
Previous office Senator (ME) 1973–1979 | ||
Senator King Pays Tribute to former Senator William Hathaway
William Dodd Hathaway (February 21, 1924 – June 24, 2013) was an American politician and lawyer from Maine.
Contents
- Senator King Pays Tribute to former Senator William Hathaway
- Early life
- Political career
- Later life
- References
Early life
Hathaway was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He served in World War II in the United States Army Air Corps, where he was shot down while bombing the Ploiești, Romania oil fields during Operation Tidal Wave and was a prisoner of war for over two months. He was awarded the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
After the war he attended Harvard University, graduating in 1949, and Harvard Law School, graduating in 1953. He then moved to Maine and practiced law in Lewiston.
Political career
He served as Assistant County Attorney for Androscoggin County from 1955 to 1957, and he was a Hearing Examiner for the State Liquor Commission from 1957 to 1961.
A Democrat, in 1964 he was elected to the U.S. House, and he served from 1965 until 1973. This was a time of resurgence for Democrats in Maine, at that time a traditionally Republican state. The same period saw the growth of the political careers of Edmund S. Muskie and Kenneth M. Curtis.
In 1972 Hathaway was the successful Democratic nominee for the United States Senate seat held by Margaret Chase Smith. In 1973, Hathaway was one of the three senators who opposed the nomination of Gerald Ford to be Vice President. (The other two were Thomas Eagleton and Gaylord Nelson.) Hathaway was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1978, losing to three-term 2nd district Congressman and future Secretary of Defense William Cohen by 22 percentage points.
Later life
Hathaway resided in the Washington, DC, area after leaving the Senate and worked as a lobbyist and lawyer. In 1990 he was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to the Federal Maritime Commission, and he served as Chairman from 1993 to 1996.
Hathaway was known and loved by the employees of the Senate, especially the Senate elevator operators. He was a constant source of humor and good will to those that worked on the Capitol elevators. "Going Up" is an unpublished manuscript by Kerry Whitney, US Senate Elevator Operator.
He retired in 1996 and continued to live in the Washington, DC, area.
In June 2002, at the age of 78, Hathaway was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism during Operation Tidal Wave.
Hathaway was married to Mary Lee Bird of Horse Shoe, North Carolina, and Akron, Ohio, or over 61 years until her death, in 2007. Hathaway had two children, Susan and Fred.
Hathaway died of pulmonary fibrosis exactly 69 years to the day after he was shot down during World War II.