Margaret Chase Smith Was a Proud Mainer [VIDEO]

Margaret Chase Smith was the first for many things in Maine and the United States. She served in the House & Senate, ran for President - and took on McCarthyism.

The caption from this YouTube video says it well:

On January 27, 1964, Senator Margaret Chase Smith stood before the Women's National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and announced her candidacy for the President of the United States. Senator Smith competed in three primaries (New Hampshire, Illinois and Oregon) and became the first woman to be placed in nomination by a major political party. Senator Barry Goldwater won the Republican nomination, but Smith came in second to Goldwater by receiving 27 delegate votes at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco, California."

In light of Hillary Clinton's historical nomination, Margaret was an inspiration to all.

She was the first woman in the United States to serve in both houses of congress - and the first woman from Maine to serve in congress. Smith was also the first woman to serve the longest in the Senate. She was a Representative from 1940-1949 and a U.S. Senator from 1949-1973.

Mrs. Smith took on McCarthyism in 1950 and delivered her famous "Declaration of Conscience" speech:

Smith was from Skowhegan and was known for her red rose and as the "conscience of the Senate." The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center was created in 1989 and runs as a unit of the University of Maine.

She passed away in 1995 at the age of 97.