Margaret Chase Smith

Margaret Chase Smith served as a Senator from Maine in the United States Congress from 1939 to 1973. A member of the Republican Party, Margaret Chase Smith contributed to the legislative process during 9 terms in office.¹

Margaret Chase Smith’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the Senate, Margaret Chase Smith participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

Margaret Madeline Chase Smith (née Chase; December 14, 1897 – May 29, 1995) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a U.S. representative (1940–1949) and a U.S. senator (1949–1973) from Maine. She was the first woman to serve in both houses of the United States Congress. A Republican, she was among the first to criticize the tactics of Joseph McCarthy in her 1950 speech “Declaration of Conscience”. Smith was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in the 1964 election; she was the first woman to be placed in nomination for the presidency at a major party’s convention. Upon leaving office, she was the longest-serving female senator in history, a distinction that was not surpassed until January 4, 2011, when Senator Barbara Mikulski from Maryland exceeded her record. Smith was ranked as the longest-serving Republican woman in the Senate, a distinction that was not surpassed until January 3, 2021, when Susan Collins, who holds the same Senate seat she previously held, was sworn in for a fifth term.