Shepard Lee's legacy felt in car business, Maine politics
Lee, who lived his principles of integrity and fairness as a dealer and a Democratic leader, dies at 83.
By Edward D. Murphy emurphy@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
Shepard Lee could have focused his life on his successful career as a car dealer, his family and friends say, but that success allowed him to move beyond the business world to help strengthen Maine's Democratic Party and to fight for human rights.
Shepard Lee
In building up his family's car business from one dealership to nine, selling eight brands, Shep Lee was "smart and creative," said his daughter, Catherine Lee. "But he always felt that he needed something more to have a satisfying life."
Lee died Wednesday night at his home in Cape Elizabeth at the age of 83.
He was a car dealer whose hallmark was integrity, a businessman who was eager to share what he learned with colleagues and competitors, a non-practicing Jew who embraced Jewish ideals of justice and tolerance, and a staunch Democrat who helped to build the party in what was once a Republican state.
"He was a real progressive," said Severin Beliveau, who was chairman of the state Democratic Party in the 1970s.
Lee was born and grew up in Lewiston, and interrupted his education at Bowdoin College to serve in the Navy in World War II.
He went back to Bowdoin after the war and graduated in 1947, then went to work the next day selling cars at his father's dealership, Advance Auto Sales in Auburn.
Lee got involved in Democratic politics in the 1950s. "In those days, there weren't too many businessmen and women who were active and prominent in the Democratic Party," Beliveau said. "He didn't compromise his principles because he became a successful businessman."
Lee was one of a handful of car dealers in Maine who recognized that the industry's future was in branching out and selling more than one brand. Although manufacturers fought to keep dealers focused on a single brand -- their own -- dealers like Lee recognized that they could do better offering customers a range of choices.
Lee also put his face on the dealerships, appearing in ads, as his son Adam has done since taking over the business.
"He was a little bit more in the public eye than the other dealers," said Tom Brown, president of the Maine Auto Dealers Association.
Brown said Lee encouraged other dealers to support consumer legislation to enhance the industry's reputation, and often offered advice to other dealers, even though some were direct competitors.
"He was very willing to share experiences and raise the level of the business," Brown said.
Lee didn't try to hide his political leanings, Brown said, even if they might discourage Republicans from patronizing his business -- at a time when most dealers steered away from anything more controversial than sponsoring a Little League team.
Gov. John Baldacci said Lee's willingness to stand up for what he believed in was helpful when Maine was strengthening its clean-air standards for cars. When the industry tried to convince lawmakers that the stricter rules would hurt car dealerships in the state, Baldacci was able to point to Shep and Adam Lee, who were supporting the new requirements.
Baldacci said that after he was elected to Congress in 1994, he spent a lot of time seeking advice from former Sen. Ed Muskie, who was practicing law in Washington. He said he soon learned that "Shep Lee and Muskie were inseparable," and that Muskie had borrowed cars off Lee's lot as he campaigned for governor in the 1950s.
Baldacci, like Democratic governors before him, often called on Lee for advice. He appointed Lee to the board of the Finance Authority of Maine.
"He kept to those Democratic values of civil rights and human rights," Baldacci said, "even if the causes worked against his personal financial or business interests."
Catherine Lee also remembers the close relationship between her father and Muskie, and how she and her father would go through supermarket parking lots putting Muskie bumper stickers on cars.
Muskie often stayed with her family, she said, and he and her father would debate issues deep into the night -- conversations marked by Muskie exclaiming "Dammit, Shep!" when her father would push a policy that Muskie felt wasn't practical.
Lee fostered a similar relationship with former Sen. George Mitchell, who became Maine's leading Democrat in the 1980s.
Catherine Lee said Mitchell made it to her father's bedside on Wednesday, hours before his death, coming from the Mideast, where he is President Obama's special envoy trying to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
She said her father's support for equality and fairness extended to his children's causes, as he supported their advocacy of gay or women's rights.
It didn't, however, extend to the sweatshirt she had, emblazoned with the slogan "We don't need balls to play sports," when she was pushing for equal funding for men's and women's athletics.
One time, she said, Lee was asked where he got his values.
"He said, 'I don't know where they came from, but I know what they are.'"
Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:
emurphy@pressherald.com
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20 COMMENTS
HM2 said...
A great businessman, patriot, and most of all a family man with strong and sincere values.
June 25, 2010 at 5:44 AM Report abuse
otisslee said...
A great man who left a great legacy. Shep will be missed by many.
June 25, 2010 at 6:39 AM Report abuse
CEMan said...
God's Speed Mr Lee
June 25, 2010 at 6:51 AM Report abuse
jake007 said...
All 3 of the above comments say it as well as can be said!
June 25, 2010 at 7:41 AM Report abuse
BoB said...
What a man, what a family! I grew up with his kids, and spent a few weeks in the 60s working with his son Jonathan washing used cars on the Advance Auto Sales lot in Auburn. My now-deceased Dad was a friend &loyal customer of his. My condolences to his family!
June 25, 2010 at 7:50 AM Report abuse
ModerateOne said...
Sometimes we get so involved with our political inclinations that we forget that the vast majority of people involved, right, left or center, do so because they care about their communities. It is times like this where we should all forget about our personal politics for a moment, and be grateful that there are people like Shep Lee (and many others) who try to make Maine a better place.
June 25, 2010 at 7:53 AM Report abuse
Chew said...
Shep was a friend to my family, my parents, Aunts and Uncles. We did not always agree on issues, but there was mutual respect, admiration, and always affection and trust. My condolences to the entire Lee family.
June 25, 2010 at 8:24 AM Report abuse
Dee said...
I knew and dealt with Shep Lee four decades ago when I worked for then Senator Muskie. He was always a real gentleman.
June 25, 2010 at 8:54 AM Report abuse
Scommentname said...
I think he sold Al Gore a car, paid for with carbon credits.
June 25, 2010 at 9:21 AM Report abuse
MainelyJack said...
I have known Shep most all of my adult life as a friend, political adversary, and sometime tennis opponant. He had a creative mind for business and turned his father's small dealership on Franklin Street in Auburn into one of Maine's giant dealerships, a testament to his business acumen and vision. He enjoyed the limelight which is why his ads for his dealerships were so effective, perhaps none more so than the ones he did with Ann Fosdick of Auburn who portrayed "Shep Lee's Grandmother." Although he and I seldom agreed on our political candidates at the state or national level, he could disagree with you on political issues without being disagreeable which is fast becoming a lost art. He delighted in bringing big names to his dealership, political or otherwise and his loyalty to and admiration of Ed Muskie is legendary. Frank Coffin was another of Shep's heroes. Every now and then you meet and get to know someone in life that is the real deal and Shep Lee was certainly that. RIP.
June 25, 2010 at 9:24 AM Report abuse
Walker said...
It's wonderful to read about men who forge real friendships, as Lee apparently did with Muskie and Mitchell. Lives like Mr. Lee should inspire all of us to nurture our friendships and look for meaning outside of our work.
June 25, 2010 at 9:31 AM Report abuse
William3 said...
In my one political encounter he was fair and generous with his time; a decent guy.Never patronized his business as did not want to support his causes. Wish that Adam wasn't so hostile and threatening towards Christians.
June 25, 2010 at 9:51 AM Report abuse
Chew said...
William3, you obviously do not know Adam. He has been a friend of mine for decades and rarely have I encountered a person who is so open minded, fair, and willing to accept people who may believe differently than him. He and I come from different backgrounds (I am not Jewish) and he has always welcomed me and my family with open arms and generosity. I am sorry you made this comment in a public forum, especially at such a sensitive time for the Lee family.
June 25, 2010 at 10:54 AM Report abuse
CEMan said...
MainelyJack, I had forgotten the Grandmother ads. They were classic. Thanks for a good memory.
June 25, 2010 at 11:28 AM Report abuse
hoagies said...
Shep used to bring his family to a summer hotel I worked at during the late 1990's. They were frequent visitors and stood out because they seemed like a genuinely nice group of people. I'm sorry for their loss.
June 25, 2010 at 11:36 AM Report abuse
sierra-tango said...
I grew up watching his TV commercials in the late '70s and throughout the '80s. Always thought they were amusing. I never had any idea what his political leanings were until now. Sincere condolences to his family and friends.
June 25, 2010 at 1:22 PM Report abuse
stinkyspot said...
Good life. My condolences to his family.
June 25, 2010 at 2:34 PM Report abuse
Citizen said...
Thanks, Lee family, for sharing this wonderful man with all the rest of us. My sympathies for your loss.
June 25, 2010 at 10:31 PM Report abuse
Adam said...
On behalf of myself and my family, and especially my dad, I want to thank everyone for their kind comments and sympathy. He was a remarkable man who was always down to earth and really enjoyed the simple things in life. It has meant so much to myself and my family to have such an outpouring of support, thank you. We are truly going to miss him. Adam Lee
June 26, 2010 at 8:18 AM Report abuse
Spencer12 said...
Shep was always very kind to me and I respected him very much. I am sorry to hear of his passing and send my sincere condolences to the Lee family. Debby Spencer-Welsh
July 1, 2010 at 7:24 PM Report abuse