Edmund S. Muskie Oral History Collection

Document Type

Oral History

Publication Date

6-20-2001

Interview Number

MOH 280

Abstract

Ralph Tucker was born August 16, 1947 in Winthrop, Massachusetts. His father, Ralph Tucker Sr., was an Episcopalian clergyman and his mother, Mildred, was a nurse and teacher. He attended Betty B. Winslow School, New Bedford, Burlington High School and Hobart College in Geneva, New York. He majored in Political Science and was involved in the International Relations Club. He was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. He married in the spring of 1971 and entered law school in the fall of 1971, focusing on labor law. He joined the law practice of McTeague, Higbee in early 1977.

Scope and Content Note

Interview includes discussions of: 1976 Senate campaign; OSHA; the Civil Rights march in Selma, Alabama; Maine School of Law; class of 1974 law students actively involved in Maine politics; 1970s textile workers’, meat cutters’ and papermakers’ unions strong; anecdote about George Mitchell; 1974 and Longley’s effective ad campaign; Medical Center Union organizing drive, 1975-1976; Local 1199 out of New York; Ben Dorsky and workers’ compensation reforms, 1970s; Tucker as messenger between Dorsky and Muskie; Waterville, Maine as the strongest union town in the state; Industrial Accident Commission protocol; and impressions of Jim Longley, Joe Brennan and John McKernan.

Use Restrictions

Copyright Bates College. This transcript is provided for individual Research Purposes Only; for all other uses, including publication, reproduction and quotation beyond fair use, permission must be obtained in writing from: The Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College, 70 Campus Avenue, Lewiston, Maine 04240-6018.

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