Dale McCormick

Dale McCormick
Maine State Treasurer
In office January 1997 – January 2005
Succeeded by	David Lemoine
Member of the Maine Senate from the 18th district
In office December 1990 – December 1996
Preceded by	Norman Weymouth
Succeeded by	Sharon Treat
Personal details
Born	January 17, 1947 (1947-01-17) (age 64) New York City
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Betsy Sweet

Dale McCormick (born January 17, 1947) is an American politician from the state of Maine, who was elected in 1990 as the first openly gay member of the Maine State Legislature. A Democrat, she served three terms in the Maine Senate, representing a largely rural district that included her hometown of Hallowell.

Early life and education

Born in New York City in 1947, McCormick moved to Sigourney, Iowa in 1955 after her parents got divorced. She graduated from Sigourney High School in 1965 before attending the University of Iowa where she graduated in 1970 with a BA and a teaching certificate. After graduation, she stayed in Iowa City, Iowa and apprenticed as a carpenter, becoming the first journeywoman carpenter in the nation in 1975. In 1977, she wrote and illustrated Against the Grain: A Carpentry Manual for Women and set up her own construction and cabinetry company.^[1]

McCormick moved to Maine in the early 1980s, where she founded a job training program for women in trade and technical occupations. She actively involved herself in political issues and was elected one of Maine's delegates to the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco as well as the 1988 convention in Atlanta.

Political career

In 1990, McCormick ran against and defeated incumbent state senator Norman Weymouth, a Republican from West Gardiner. She took office in December 1990 as the representative of the 18th senate district, which consisted of parts of Kennebec County as well as the town of Richmond in Sagadahoc County. She was re-elected in 1992 and 1994.

In 1996, she did not seek re-election to the state senate but instead ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1st district. She lost the Democratic primary to Tom Allen, winning 10,071 votes to his 13,632.^[2] Allen went on to win the general election handily and served six terms in Congress.

McCormick was elected state treasurer by the legislature on December 4, 1996, becoming Maine's first female constitutional officer.^[3] She was re-elected in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Term limits prevented her from seeking a fifth term in 2004. Gov. John Baldacci subsequently appointed her director of the state housing authority.

Her partner is Betsy Sweet. Together they have one child.

Published works

• Against the Grain: A Carpentry Manual for Women ISBN 0918040019
• Housemending: Home Repair For The Rest of Us

References

1. ^ "University of Iowa Women's Archives: Dale McCormick". http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa/findingaids/html/McCormickDale.html. 
2. ^ "Maine Elections Division: 1996 primary election results". http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/1996p/pri96c1d.htm. 
3. ^ "University of Maine at Augusta Women's Hall of Fame: Dale McCormick". http://www.uma.edu/mwhof-dmccormick.html. 

External links

• Outhistory: Dale McCormick
• University of Maine at Augusta: McCormick

Persondata
Name	McCormick, Dale
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 17, 1947
Place of birth	New York City
Date of death
Place of death