Nov. 5, 1919: Maine becomes the 19th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which eventually gives women the right to vote.

The decision reflects an about-face from the result of a statewide referendum only two years earlier, on Sept. 10, 1917, when Maine men voted by a 2-to-1 ratio to deny women that right.

The amendment takes effect Aug. 18, 1920, when Tennessee becomes the 36th state to ratify it, providing the requisite three-quarters of the 48 then-existing states needed for full ratification.

The timing of ratification presents a challenge for election organizers in Maine, which was then the only state to hold its statewide elections in September rather than November. Municipal clerks throughout the state must contend with a rush of women registering to vote so they can participate in the election.

Eight southern and Mid-Atlantic states – Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina and Virginia – explicitly reject ratification before that date. Starting in 1923 with Delaware, however, they later change their minds and vote for ratification. The last of the eight states to do so is Mississippi, in 1984.

Gov. James B. Longley Image courtesy of the Blaine House

Nov. 5, 1974: James B. Longley (1924-1980), an independent candidate, wins a three-way race for Maine governor with 40 percent of the vote. Longley, who had been a Democrat before the campaign began, becomes Maine’s first independent governor.

Calling himself “liberal on people and a conservative on fiscal responsibility,” the Bowdoin College and University of Maine School of Law graduate defeats George Mitchell, a Democrat who later will serve as a U.S. senator; and James Erwin, a Republican. Longley serves only one term as governor, as he pledged to do.

Although the Lewiston businessman is the first independent governor to occupy the Blaine House, he is not the first Longley there. Maude Longley was a housekeeper for Gov. Sumner Sewall and his family in the 1940s. Her diaries provide insight into what life in the mansion was like in the 1940s.

Joseph Owen is an author, retired newspaper editor and board member of the Kennebec Historical Society. Owen’s book, “This Day in Maine,” can be ordered at islandportpress.com. To get a signed copy use promo code signedbyjoe at checkout. Joe can be contacted at: jowen@mainetoday.com.

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