Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Skowhegan was the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress, as a member of the House of Representatives from 1940 to 1949 and the Senate from 1949 to 1973. In this photo from the Evening Express on March 31, 1950, she is seen at the state Republican Convention in Portland. Chase Smith gained national attention in 1950 for denouncing the methods used by Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy in his anti-communist crusade, in what came to be known as her “Declaration of Conscience” speech. Her former home in Skowhegan is now part of the Margaret Chase Smith Library.
Film star Bette Davis, in this photo in the Press Herald on July 23, 1955, is being honored at Portland City Hall. Davis, who lived in Cape Elizabeth for most of the ‘50s, starred as Queen Elizabeth I in the 1955 film “The Virgin Queen.” The world premiere of the movie screened at The Strand Theatre at 565 Congress St. in Portland on July 22, 1955. Davis donated proceeds from ticket sales to the Children’s Theatre of Maine. Prior to living in Maine, Davis spent summers in Ogunquit and was the first female lifeguard at Ogunquit Beach in 1926.
Nearly 25,000 people showed up for the confetti parade down Congress Street in Portland honoring 1984 Olympic medalists Joan Benoit (marathon), Holly Metcalf (rowing) and Billy Swift (baseball pitcher). In this photo in the Press Herald on Aug. 23, 1984, Benoit is covered in streamers. Benoit won the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon in Los Angeles on Aug. 4, 1984, with a time of 2:24:52.
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