Margaret Madeline Chase was born, and
died, in Skowhegan, Maine. The word frightened was not in her
vocabulary.
In 1930, she married Clyde Smith, who
was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1936. Margaret
was onboard as Clyde's secretary. When Clyde Smith died in 1940,
Margaret succeeded her husband.
A Republican, Margaret Chase Smith was
elected to the U.S. Senate in 1948.
In February 1950,
Joseph McCarthy scared the bejesus out of everyone by
accusing, without any evidence, 205 federal employees of being
Communist spies.
The
Red Scare had
gained enormous momentum, and even the ones who didn't quite agree,
generally kept their opinion low profile. Not so Margaret Chase
Smith.
On June 1, 1950, Senator Margaret Chase
Smith introduced her
Declaration of Conscience. While delivering her speech
on the Senate floor, McCarthy sat only two rows behind her.
