Edmund Sixtus Muskie was born March 28, 1914, in Rumsford, Maine. He graduated cum laude from Bates College in 1936 and went on to Cornell Law School.

Elected governor of Maine in 1954, Muskie served two consecutive terms before being elected to the United States Senate in 1958. He was the Democratic candidate for vice president in 1968.

Following the resignation of Cyrus Vance, Muskie was appointed U.S. secretary of state. He served from 1980-1981. He worked for a Washington, D.C., law firm after his days in the Carter administration. Edmund Muskie died on March 26, 1996.