William Dodd Hathaway (February 21, 1924June 24, 2013) was an American politician and lawyer from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

for Maine from 1973 to 1979, as the U.S. representative for

Maine's 2nd congressional district Maine's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maine. Covering , it comprises nearly 80% of the state's total land area. The district comprises most of the land area north of the Portland, Maine, Portland an ...

from 1965 to 1973, and as the commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission from 1990 to 1999.

Early life

Hathaway was born in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

. He served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

, where he was shot down while bombing the

Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commune ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

oil fields during Operation Tidal Wave and was a prisoner of war for over two months. He was awarded the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

, the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war he attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, graduating in 1949, and Harvard Law School, graduating in 1953. He then moved to Maine and practiced law in Lewiston.

Political career

He served as Assistant County Attorney for Androscoggin County from 1955 to 1957, and he was a Hearing Examiner for the State Liquor Commission from 1957 to 1961. A Democrat, in 1964 he was elected to the

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from the 2nd District after incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Clifford McIntire ran unsuccessfully for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, and he served from 1965 until 1973. This was a time of resurgence for Democrats in Maine, at that time a traditionally

state. The same period saw the growth of the political careers of Edmund S. Muskie and

Kenneth M. Curtis Kenneth Merwin Curtis (born February 8, 1931) is an American attorney, Democratic politician, and diplomat. He was the Maine Secretary of State from 1965-1966, the Governor of Maine from 1966-1974, and the United States Ambassador to Canada f ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

Hathaway ran for the

and defeated four-term Republican incumbent Margaret Chase Smith in a considerable upset. In 1973, Hathaway was one of the three senators who opposed the nomination of Gerald Ford to be

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

. (The other two were fellow Democrats

Thomas Eagleton Thomas Francis Eagleton (September 4, 1929 – March 4, 2007) was an American lawyer serving as a United States senator from Missouri, from 1968 to 1987. He was briefly the Democratic vice presidential nominee under George McGovern in 1972. H ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

and

Gaylord Nelson Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916July 3, 2005) was an American politician and environmentalist from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which launch ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

.) One of his Senate aides was future Maine Governor and Senator Angus King. Hathaway was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1978, losing to his successor in the 2nd District, future Secretary of Defense

William Cohen William Sebastian Cohen (born August 28, 1940) is an American lawyer, author, and politician from the U.S. state of Maine. A Republican, Cohen served as both a member of the United States House of Representatives (1973–1979) and Senate (1979� ...

, by 22 percentage points.

Later life

Hathaway resided in the

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, area after leaving the Senate and worked as a lobbyist and lawyer. In 1990 he was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to the Federal Maritime Commission, and he served as chairman from 1993 to 1996. Hathaway was known and well-liked by the employees of the U.S Senate, especially the Senate elevator operators. He was a constant source of humor and good will to those that worked on the Capitol elevators. "Going Up" is an unpublished manuscript by Kerry Whitney, US Senate Elevator Operator. He retired in 1996 and continued to live in the Washington, DC, area. In June 2002, at the age of 78, Hathaway was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism during Operation Tidal Wave. Hathaway was married to Mary Lee Bird of Horse Shoe, North Carolina, and

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

, for over 61 years until her death, in 2007. Hathaway had two children, Susan and Fred. Hathaway died of

pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory failu ...

exactly 69 years to the day after he was shot down during World War II.

Notes

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hathaway, William 1924 births 2013 deaths American prisoners of war in World War II Democratic Party United States senators from Maine Federal Maritime Commission members Harvard Law School alumni Maine lawyers Politicians from Cambridge, Massachusetts Politicians from Lewiston, Maine Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Shot-down aviators United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine Lawyers from Cambridge, Massachusetts 20th-century American politicians Burials at Arlington National Cemetery George H. W. Bush administration personnel Clinton administration personnel