Olympia Snowe

About the Author

Born on February 21, 1947, in Augusta, Maine, Olympia Snowe earned a degree in political science from the University of Maine in 1969. Senator Snowe is only the fourth woman in history to be elected to both houses of Congress and the first woman in American history to serve in both houses of a state legislature and both houses of Congress. When first elected to Congress in 1978, at the age of thirty-one, Olympia Snowe was the youngest Republican woman, and the first Greek-American woman, ever elected to Congress. She has won more federal elections in Maine than any other person since World War II, and is now the third-longest serving female in the history of Congress. Snowe is married to former Maine governor John R. McKernan, Jr. and lives in Falmouth, Maine.