he was the son of a polish immigrant tailor in a small town called rumford in western maine. he rose to become a great united states senator, secretary of state, candidate for president, candidate on the ballot for vice president of the united states, and one of the great citizens of maine and the country of the 20th century. ed muskie rose by his own merits. i'm convinced that the secret sauce of america is the welcoming of people from all over the world who came hear to bring their talents and allow them to express themselves fully and freely in the wonderful, rich soil of this great country. ed muskie went to school on a scholarship, went to college, a small college in maine, bates college, where the muskie archives currently reside. then he went on to cornell law school. through generosity of individuals and scholarships, because he had no resources of his own. he was in world war ii and then he came back to practice law in the small town of waterville in central maine. in 1954, ed muskie literally invented the democratic party in maine. i don't believe that there had bee