Ken Curtis, Maine’s Reform Governor
by Douglas Rooks
Ken Curtis was Maine’s Governor at a time (1967–75) of war and upheaval, disrupting longstanding social and partisan arrangements in state as well as national politics. In Maine, these conflicts did not produce stalemate, instead ushering in a creative, large-scale revisioning of state government with strong bipartisan support, even though Curtis never commanded a legislative majority. The breadth and durability of his achievements amid daunting trials offers profound lessons from his time for our own.
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Ken Curtis was the most consequential governor in recent Maine history—and that includes me! He fundamentally reorganized the structure of state government and led the adoption of a fairer tax system—all without a majority of his party in either house of the Legislature at any time during his tenure. This book, by one of Maine’s most perceptive political observers, skillfully defines those qualities of personality, determination, and straightforward leadership that enabled Ken to become universally respected while also making a profound difference for Maine.
—Angus King, Maine Governor, 1995–2003, U.S. Senator, 2013–present
Secretary of State turned Governor Ken Curtis was not only ‘The Man With a Plan’ but also had the courage to blaze new trails and do hard things, permanently transforming Maine state government for the better. Douglas Rooks skillfully charts the path of a farmer’s son to the Blaine House and beyond that inspires all of us committed to positive change.
—Shenna Bellows, Maine Secretary of State
Douglas Rooks has written the definitive biography of Maine Gov. Ken Curtis. While it is both entertaining and informative, it importantly reinforces Curtis’s role as one of the most significant change agents in Maine history. Curtis began his first term by recruiting a brain trust to assist in overhauling the operations of state government in ways that only a team with insight, patience and persuasive powers could accomplish. The Curtis team consolidated countless state departments and created a Land Use Regulatory Commission to zone the north woods and recover Maine’s public lots. He persuaded political opponents to pass an income tax that survived a referendum attack while Curtis himself achieved reelection. Today’s politicians need to study Curtis’s achievements to learn how he and his friends defined needed reforms and brought them to fruition.
—Peter Mills, former State Senator and Maine Turnpike Authority executive director
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Douglas Rooks, Maine historian and biographer, is also a lifelong journalist. He’s edited daily and weekly newspapers in Maine and New Hampshire, and has written a weekly opinion column for more than 45 years, winning state, regional and national awards. His previous books are:
- Statesman: George Mitchell and the Art of the Possible
- Rise, Decline and Renewal: The Democratic Party in Maine
- First Franco: Albert Beliveau in Law, Politics, and Love
- Calm Command: U.S. Chief Justice Melville Fuller in His Times, 1888-1910
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