Mitchell, Libby oral history interview

Authors

Nicholas Christie

Document Type

Oral History

Publication Date

8-3-2001

Interview Number

MOH 309

Abstract

Libby Mitchell was born in Gaffney, South Carolina in 1940. She did her undergraduate studies at Furman University and attended graduate school at the University of North Carolina. She moved to Maine with her husband in 1971 and taught English as a Second Language (ESL). Libby was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1974 and served until 1984. From 1986 to 1990 she was Director of the Maine Housing Authority. She returned to the Maine House of Representatives in 1990 and served until 1998, becoming the first woman Speaker of the House in 1996. At the time of this interview, she was a Public Policy Fellow at the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service in Portland, Maine. In 2007, she was the Majority Leader in the Maine Senate.

Scope and Content Note

Interview includes discussions of: family and educational background; Maine Legislature; women in politics; the League of Women Voters; Equal Rights Amendment; education in Maine; Ken Curtis; “Maine Matters” TV show; and Muskie lobster bakes.

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.

Recommended Citation

Christie, Nicholas, "Mitchell, Libby oral history interview" (2001). Edmund S. Muskie Oral History Collection. 277.
https://scarab.bates.edu/muskie_oh/277