Pingree, Chellie, 1955-

<p>Chellie Marie Pingree (/ˈʃɛli ˈpɪŋɡriː/ SHELL-ee PING-gree; née Johnson; born April 2, 1955) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Maine's 1st congressional district since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, her district includes most of the southern part of the state, including Portland and Augusta.</p>

<p>Pingree was a member of the Maine Senate from 1992 to 2000, serving as majority leader for her last four years. She was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate in 2002, losing to incumbent Republican Susan Collins. From 2003 until 2006, she was president and CEO of Common Cause. She is the first Democratic woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine.</p>

<p>Pingree was born Rochelle Marie Johnson, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of Harry and Dorothy Johnson. She moved to Maine as a teenager and had her first name legally changed to Chellie. She attended the University of Southern Maine and graduated from College of the Atlantic with a degree in Human Ecology. Since graduating from College of the Atlantic, she has resided on North Haven, a small island community off the coast of Rockland.</p>

<p>Chellie Pingree never anticipated a life in politics. Living on the offshore island of North Haven, Maine, she raised her kids and ran a small business. She served on the school board and as the local tax assessor, a job no one else in town wanted. But in 1991, when she was approached about running for State Senate, she jumped at the chance.</p>

<p>She scored a remarkable upset, defeating a popular Republican, and went on to serve four terms in the Maine Senate. But throughout her political career, from Augusta to Washington and beyond, the lessons she learned on North Haven have always been her guide: Be accountable to your neighbors, and always use your common sense.</p>

<p>Chellie Johnson (she has legally changed her name from "Rochelle") was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1955, the youngest of four children. Her father, Harry, worked in advertising and her mother, Dorothy, was a nurse. Chellie moved to Maine as a teenager, attended the University of Southern Maine, and graduated from the College of the Atlantic, in Bar Harbor. After college, she moved to North Haven, an island town of 350 people twelve miles off the coast of Rockland, to raise her family and make a living.</p>

PINGREE, Chellie, a Representative from Maine; born in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minn., April 2, 1955; attended University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine, 1973; B.A., College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine, 1979; farmer; businesswoman; member of the North Haven (Maine) board of assessors, 1981-1987, chairwoman, 1982-1983; member of the North Haven (Maine) planning board, 1981-1991; member of the Maine state senate, 1992-2000, majority leader, 1996-2000; unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 2002; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Eleventh and to the six succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2009-present).