Carl E. Milliken

Carl Elias Milliken ( born July 13, 1877 in Pittsfield, Maine; † May 1, 1961 in Springfield, Massachusetts ) was an American politician and from 1917 to 1921 governor of Maine.

Early years and political rise

Carl Milliken attended until 1897, the Bates College and then studied at Harvard University, where he graduated in 1899. Then he went into the lumber business. He was also director of a local telephone company. Between 1909 and 1912 he was a member of the House of Representatives from Maine and 1912-1916 he was in the state Senate. As a representative of the progressive wing of the Republican Party, he was elected in 1916 against the incumbent Oakley Curtis as the new governor of Maine. In these elections, the caucus system in Maine was established under which the parties have their candidates in primary elections ( primaries ) determined by the voters.

Governor of Maine

Milliken took up his new post on January 3, 1917. After a re-election in 1918, he could remain in office until January 5, 1921. Milliken's tenure was initially overshadowed by the events of World War I in which the United States participated since April 1917. The industrial production of the country had to be switched to armaments. Young men had to be screened and drafted into the army. In addition, its own protection force (Maine Home Guard ) was set in Maine. After the war ended in November 1918, industrial production had to be moved back to civil needs and the returning soldiers had to be integrated back into society again. Domestically Milliken supported the Prohibition movement, and he advocated the corresponding amendment of the U.S. Constitution of 1919 came into force.

Further CV

After the end of his governorship, Carl Milliken retired from politics and devoted himself to his private interests. He became involved in the nascent film industry and was until his resignation in 1947 over 20 years on the board of the Motion Picture Association of America. After that he worked on educational films for school purposes. Carl Milliken died on 1 May 1961. He was married twice and had seven children.