Olympia Snowe

Olympia Snowe
Olympia Snowe
	Snowe in 2010
United States Senator; from Maine
	In office; January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	George Mitchell
Succeeded by	Angus King
Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee
	In office; January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	John Kerry
Succeeded by	John Kerry
First Lady of Maine
	In role; February 24, 1989 – January 5, 1995
Governor	John McKernan
Preceded by	Constance Brennan
Succeeded by	Mary Herman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from Maine's 2nd district
	In office; January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Bill Cohen
Succeeded by	John Baldacci
Member of the Maine Senate; from the 12th district
	In office; January 5, 1977 – January 3, 1979
Preceded by	Elmer Berry
Succeeded by	Barbara Trafton
Personal details
Born	Olympia Jean Bouchles; February 21, 1947; Augusta, Maine, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouses	; Peter Snowe (m. 1969; died 1973) John McKernan (m. 1989)
Education	University of Maine (BA)
Signature
Website	Official website

Olympia Jean Snowe (née Bouchles; born February 21, 1947) is an American businesswoman and politician who was a United States Senator from Maine from 1995 to 2013. Snowe, a member of the Republican Party, became known for her ability to influence the outcome of close votes, including whether to end filibusters. In 2006, she was named one of America's Best Senators by Time magazine. Throughout her Senate career, she was considered one of the most moderate members of the chamber.

On February 28, 2012, Snowe announced that she would not seek re-election in November 2012, and retired when her third term ended on January 3, 2013. She cited hyper-partisanship leading to a dysfunctional Congress as the reason for her retirement from the Senate. Her seat went to former governor Angus King, a former Democrat and current independent.

Snowe is a senior fellow for the Bipartisan Policy Center and co-chairs its Commission on Political Reform.

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