About Susan Collins
Susan M. Collins was born in the Northern Maine town of Caribou on December 7, 1952. The Collins family has been active in the Caribou community for five generations, ever since they began their lumber business there in 1844. Senator Collins' parents both served as mayor of Caribou at different times, and her father represented the area as a Maine State Senator.After graduating from Caribou High School, Susan continued her education at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. She graduated with magna cum laude honors in 1975, and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa national academic society.
Susan Collins and William CohenSusan Collins began her career in public service right after graduation, joining the staff of Maine Senator Bill Cohen. She served on Senator Cohen's staff for more than 11 years, where she learned both the intricacies of Washington politics and the importance of staying true to her Maine values and heritage. During her tenure with Senator Cohen, she also served as staff director of the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on the Oversight of Government Management from 1981-1987.
In 1987, Susan Collins joined the Cabinet of Maine Governor John McKernan, as Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation. She served in this post for five years, then became New England Regional Administrator of the Small Business Administration in 1992.
Political career
In 1994, Susan became the first woman in Maine to be nominated as a major party's candidate for Governor. She lost the race that fall, but immediately resumed her service to the people of Maine in December, as she became the founding executive director of the Center for Family Business at Husson College in Bangor.
Senator Susan Collins speaking with firemenIn 1996, Susan Collins ran for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Senator Cohen. She won the seat in a four-way election that fall, and went on to win re-election in 2002 with 59% of the vote, carrying every county in Maine.
Senator Collins was the first freshman Senator ever to lead the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and served for six years on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She is Ranking Member and former Chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and also serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Special Committee on Aging.
Continuing a Maine tradition
Since joining the Senate, Susan Collins has developed a reputation for her ability to work across party lines to create consensus and find solutions to difficult problems.
The Lewiston Sun Journal recognized that “Her reputation as a moderate and her willingness to work with politicians regardless of their political affiliations make her an effective voice in Washington.â€, and the Portland Press Herald wrote, "…Collins gets it done. [Senator Collins’] moderation and bipartisan style should keep her winning streak alive.â€
Her legendary work ethic was described recently on The Washington Post's website: "Collins adheres to a Maine tradition started by the late senator Margaret Chase Smith (R), who once went 13 straight years without missing a vote. Collins has already surpassed her childhood idol in the raw number of consecutive votes cast, sitting on a streak that now tops 3,500 votes."
Senator Collins has become an important voice for Maine, providing strength and leadership at a time when it is needed more than ever. She has served as a representative of Maine values in the often-contentious world of Washington politics, and has used those principles, forged during her youth in the small town of Caribou,Senator Susan Collins and friends to successfully approach some of the most important issues of our time.
Former Maine Senator Bill Cohen recently summarized the legacy of balanced leadership that Susan Collins has proudly become part of:
"Susan is one of the real stars in the United States Senate. [She] comes from that long lineage of Maine leaders who understand that most people live in the center of life, that you can't govern from the extremes."