Snowe, Olympia J. (Olympia Jean), 1947-

<p>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 <i>Time</i> magazine. Snowe was known for her ability to compromise and her strong sense of bipartisanship. Throughout her senate career, she was considered one of the most moderate members of the Senate.</p>

<p>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.</p>

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

<p>As the first Greek-American woman elected to Congress, Olympia J. Snowe represented Maine for 34 years—16 as a House Member and 18 as a Senator. Representing a politically independent constituency, Snowe worked to balance her personal convictions with the needs of her party and her rural state. Throughout her career, Snowe was often a key swing vote in both the House and Senate. A pragmatic politician, Snowe studied issues, and routinely challenged her own assumptions. “I love facts. I love memos. I am always seeking more information.” She once admitted, “I am always challenging my own views for fear that I am getting it wrong.”</p>

<p>Olympia Snowe was born Olympia Jean Bouchles on February 21, 1947, in Augusta, Maine, the daughter of George and Georgia Bouchles. She had one brother, John. The Bouchles operated the State Street Diner, located right down the road from the Maine state house, which was always packed with politicians. In 1955, when Snowe was eight, her mother died from breast cancer. Tragedy struck again in November 1956, when her father died of a heart attack. Snowe was sent to Auburn, Maine, to live with her mother’s brother, James Goranites, a barber, his wife, Mary, a textile mill worker, and their five children. She attended a Greek Orthodox girls’ boarding school in Garrison, New York. Traveling back and forth from school alone on the train gave her a sense of independence and confidence. Snowe cited a successful run for dorm president in eighth grade as her first involvement in politics. After ninth grade, in 1962, she returned to Maine full time to attend Auburn’s Edward Little High School.</p>

<p>After graduating in 1965, Snowe earned a BA in political science from the University of Maine at Orono and married state representative Peter Snowe in 1969. In 1970 she worked at the Auburn Board of Voter Registration as a Republican and campaigned for Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s final election to the U.S. Senate. In 1972 Snowe began working as an office manager for newly elected House Republican and future Secretary of Defense, William Sebastian Cohen.</p>