Hundreds of mourners, including Governor Janet Mills, attended the funeral service for Governor Joseph Brennan Friday, not far from Brennan's home on Munjoy Hill.
The son of Irish immigrants, Brennan was remembered as a great leader who excelled in every public role he held with integrity and hard work. After serving in the Army, he attended Boston College on the GI Bill, then went on to the University of Maine Law School.
U.S. Senator George Mitchell recalled meeting Brennan when they were both young lawyers in the 1960s, and Brennan gave him a job in the Cumberland County district attorney's office. Mitchell said Brennan taught him how to try a case in a court and how to treat people in difficult circumstances.
"Most important of all he had a deep and lifelong concern for the wellbeing of every member of our society, especially those who needed help but were least able to advocate for themselves," Mitchell said.
Brennan ultimately chose a career in politics, serving as Maine's Governor for two terms, then in Congress, and finally as a Federal Maritime Commissioner under Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama.
Among Brennan's accomplishments while Governor, were fighting tax increases, enacting seatbelt and OUI laws, establishing student testing, and implementing policies to consolidate Maine's public lands and protect its rivers.
He is survived by his wife, Connie, two children and several grandchildren.