Edmund S. Muskie Oral History Collection

Authors

Brian O'Doherty

Document Type

Oral History

Publication Date

1-24-2000

Interview Number

MOH 166

Abstract

Roy Whitcomb, Jr. was born on December 26, 1927 in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents met at Deering High School in Portland, Maine. His father, Roy Sr., served in World War I, and later worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber in Akron, Ohio and Hally Brothers in Cleveland, Ohio. His mother, Mary Ashton (Rustemeyer) Whitcomb worked for General Electric in Schenectady, New York. Both returned to Maine during the Depression. Roy, Jr. earned his degree in Journalism from Boston University in 1950. He became a police reporter in Fredericksburg, Virginia, then was drafted for two years during the Korean War. He worked for Jim Oliver, and then helped Curtis run for the House in 1964. He was Deputy Secretary of State under Governor Curtis for one day. He served as director of the Democratic Party in New Hampshire in 1965. He was Executive Assistant and Press Secretary under Ken Curtis, during his second term as Governor. He served as the Director for Model Cities in Maine.

Scope and Content Note

Interview includes discussions of: Office of Price Stabilization (OPS); anecdote of car ride with Curtis, Muskie and Mitchell, 1966?; Dick McMahon; Ken Curtis; World War I: State Guard comparable to National Guard; Bill Dunfey; anecdote reflecting Humphrey’s inability to remember faces and names; wrote Curtis’ inaugural speech with George Mitchell; Maine Nudist Camp, Gray, Maine; Model Cities; and the Boston Post Road.

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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