Beverly Daggett, an Augusta legislator who was the first woman to serve as Maine Senate president, has died.

Daggett, 69, died Sunday in Lewiston after a long illness. She was elected the 111th Senate president Dec. 4, 2002, making her the first woman to ever hold the position.

“As the first woman to serve as Senate president, Bev Daggett paved the way for women and children in our state,” Speaker of the House Mark Eves said in a statement. “Her bipartisan leadership and steadfast service to her community inspired so many of us.”

Daggett was first elected to the Maine Senate in 1996 after serving five terms representing Augusta in the House of Representatives. She was the Senate Democratic leader during the 120th Maine Legislature, working closely with both parties to set a power-sharing agreement that resulted in the Senate’s first-ever partisan tie.

Maine Senate Democratic leaders Justin Alfond of Portland called Daggett and “outstanding leader.”

“Bev broke through barriers when she was elected Senate president. She was a champion of working people and a strong voice for the residents of Augusta,” he said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who served with Daggett in the Maine Legislature, said she admired Daggettt’s ability to work across the aisle.

“Bev was deeply committed to the community she lived in – in addition to being a state senator from Augusta, she served on the school board, she was a county commissioner and was always ready to volunteer to help out,” Pingree said. “She made Maine a better place and we will all miss her.”

Daggett was active in the community and served as a Kennebec County commissioner. She was a member of the Green Street United Methodist Church, where she was a substitute organist. She and her husband, Tom, raised three children.


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