Although Maine's Roman Catholic population is about 75% Franco-American, the Diocese of Maine has yet to have a Franco-American bishop. Maine did have, until his untimely death in 1993, auxilliary bishop Amédée Proulx. Maine's bishops, with the exception of Bishop James A. Healy (6 Apr. 1830 Macon, GA - 5 Aug. 1900 Portland) who's mother was an American Negro, and Most Reverend Michael Cote, the present Auxiliary Bishop of Portland, have always been of Irish descent. In 1970, Maine's population was 20% French-Catholic.

Despite Maine's large Franco population and 160-year presence in the state, it has not yet sent one of its own to the Blaine House (Governor's mansion).
Until 2002, Maine had not sent one of its native Franco-American sons to Washington as a congressman. We now have Congressman Mike Michaud (D).

Margaret Chase Smith of Skowhegan, the first woman in US history to hold political office in both the US House of Representatives (1940-48) and the US Senate (1948-72), Margaret was the daughter of an English father and a 100% Franco-American mother, Carrie Murray (actually Caroline Morin). Her mother was born in Skowhegan, the daughter of Jean-Lambert Morin (alias John Murray) and his first wife, Marie Boulet who were married in Waterville's first Catholic church, St.John's, on June 26, 1866. Following Marie's death, John remarried in Skowhegan's Notre Dame de Lourdes parish to Adèle Lessard on November 28, 1882. Her maternal lineage is rooted in the small French-Canadian towns of Beauce county, particularly Beauceville and St.Georges.

It is my sincere belief that, outside of perhaps a small group of close family members and associates, during Margaret's political career, she didn't let it be commonly known that her mother was a first generation Franco-American. Surely, as Republican and as Protestant as most people in the state of Maine were in the 1930's through the 1950's, should the general public have discovered her maternal grandparents to be Quebec-born French-Canadians from the Beauce no less, she may have never been elected. However, had many Franco-Americans known that, she probably would have received more of their votes. To my knowledge, nobody that I knew regarded Margaret as nothing less than a WASP republican who did a good job for the Maine people in Congress. Only recently, based on books and records in her official library in Skowhegan, have we "discovered" and identified her Franco-American/French-Canadian roots.
With Mike Michaud, the Franco-Americans of Maine have finally arrived in the sense that ALL voters know he is a Franco-American and that the majority of Maine voters no longer look at the Francos as second-class citizens. But it sure took a long time for many to realize this. It is almost comparible to the Kennedy election = the first Roman Catholic elected to the US presidency. That should be the next giant step for the Franco-Americans in politics.

For further reading along this line, visit: http://www.francomaine.org/English/Histo/Grand_Trunk/Grand_Trunk_Travelor.html

Franco-Americans are the largest minority group in the state of Maine, making up nearly a quarter of its population. Of the six New England states, Maine is second in the number of persons whose "Mother Tongue" is French (Massachusetts is first).

Waterville was the first community in Maine to receive a permanent and sizable influx of French-Canadians (the predominantly French towns in the St. John Valley in Aroostook county are excluded here since they were then in disputed territory until the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842).

Waterville had the first "Petit Canada" (Little Canada) in the state, as almost all of the French-Canadians settled in the south end of town commonly known as the Plains. However, neither the Yankees nor the French referred to it as such.

In 1965, Catholic sanctioned mixed marriages accounted for 25% of the total Catholic marriages. Of these, Catholics with Irish backgrounds were more likely to marry a non-Catholic than the Franco-American Catholics.

In 1970, five and one-half million people in the United States identified themselves as of French descent - most of them with French-Canadian roots.

Before Maine became a state in 1820, it was under the political jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and was called the District of Maine. Its name originates from the ancient French province of Maine located south of Normandy.

Waterville's first Franco-American mayor was F. Harold Dubord in 1929. In 1891, Fred W. Clair became the first City Clerk of Franco-American heritage. Dr. John L. Fortier was the first City physician with Franco-American roots in 1888. In 1912, the Honorable Alfred A. Mathieu was the first Municipal Court Judge with Franco-American roots. Waterville's first Franco-American Chief of Police was Alfred Poirier who served honorably from 1930 to 1950.

The French (includes the French-Canadians, Franco-Americans, French-Acadians and so-called Cajuns of Louisiana)
can be rightly proud of their ancestry, their history, their traditions and their culture. Although rare these days when it
is "politically incorrect" to make fun of or demean any group of people, it still happens on occasion - usually from very
ignorant and prejudiced people who, for various reasons, like to put others down so as to make themselves feel better or more superior. The opposite is customarily true in such cases.
The French-Canadians and Franco-Americans have taken their share of the brunt from such individuals ever since they set foot on US soil. But this type of thing doesn't happen only to the French in the US but also to many other nationalities both here and in other countries. There are stupid, bad, and ignorant people in all cultures, races, religions, and nations. The French have their share just like the English, the Polish, the Germans, the Italians, the Afro-Americans, the Native Americans, etc. etc.with no exceptions. But there is something special to me about the French, partly because I am one of this group. Their language is beautiful - it is reflected in their songs. Their art is superb - ever visit the Louvres? Their manners and hospitality are gracious. Their contributions to modern science are very significant - take away such greats as Coulomb, Pasteur, Pierre Curie (wife, Marie was Polish) and his brother Jacques, Étienne Lenoir ("Who is he?" you might ask - he built the first practical internal-combustion engine - not Henry Ford), Daguerre (he invented photography), Desartes, Sabatier, and Lavoisier (father of modern chemistry), the Montgolfier brothers and Duponts of Nemours (France), Ampere and, Jacques Cousteau just to name a few. How about the great French philosopher, Voltaire? Not forgetting some of the greats in the arts there are writers, artists, composers, playwrites, etc. such as Nostradamus, Jules Verne, Henry David Thoreau, Charles Perrault, Renoir, Chagall, Debussy, Ravel, Bizet, Moliere, Racine, early explorers like Champlain, and even Paul Revere (Rivoire) was of French descent. Charles Perrault? Yes, he was the one who wrote Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and the Mother Goose Tales - not Walt Disney. Charles (1628-1703) was born in Paris. Then we have George Washington, Commodore Dewey, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Maine Civil War hero, three-time governor, and president of Bowdoin College, General Joshua Chamberlain - all had French roots. In recent times, some celebrities with French-Canadian roots include Elvis Presley's wife (Priscilla Beaulieu), Madonna (her mother was a Fortin), popular singer Celine Dion, actor Robert Goulet, and many others.

The French were the first to render help to America in its quest for independence from the tyranical rule of the British crown and were also the first to recognize this nation's sovereignty. The French are our oldest allies. So my little "frog" graphics here and there in this web site are not to degrade the French - it is simply that the symbol of the frog has been, for many generations,  associated with what is "French" and being such fascinating little creatures, they just had to be a part of this effort. Incidentally, the association of the frog with the French is not because they eat them in France (and elsewhere). It supposedly began with British sailors two or three centuries ago because French ships would place frogs in their fresh water barrels a few days before it was decided to consume it. If the frogs died, the water was deemed to be not potable. The French, on the other hand, called the British sailors "limies" because they brought lime juice with them on long voyages so as to prevent scurvy. Both of these ideas were superb in that they saved lives and improved health.

Based on the 1990 US census, the State with the greatest number of French-Canadian/Acadian names listed as the 100 most common surnames in each state was Louisiana with a total 22. New Hampshire was second with 21. Maine came in third with 17. Vermont's list had 6 French-Canadian names. In Maine, the numbers would be greater except for the fact that many folks with direct Franco-American ancestry have assumed an Anglicized version or variation in spelling.
In Maine we have:
#11 PELLETIER,  #12 MICHAUD,  #19 CYR , #27 ROY (does not include many that are King & Ware),
#31 GAGNON,  #33 COTE,  #35 MORIN,  #41 NADEAU,  #46 BEAULIEU,  #52 CARON,  #57 BOUCHARD,
#70 THIBODEAU, #76 LEVESQUE,  #85 THERIAULT,  #89 POULIN, and #92 BELANGER. Other names which include both French-Canadian and English/Scotch/Irish families are: #6 MARTIN, #30 KING,  #42 PERRY,
 #58 FOSTER,  and #61 DYER.
In Louisiana: #7 HEBERT, #9 LANDRY,  #12 LEBLANC, #13 MARTIN, #14 BROUSSARD, #17 GUIDRY,
#20 BOUDREAU, #25 FONTENOT, #33 THIBODEAU, #37 BREAUX, #42 TRAHAN, #52 BOURGEOIS,
#56 BLANCHARD, #57 BERGERON, #61 BORDELON, #62 DAIGLE, #80 MELANSON, #84 COMEAUX,
#88 SIMON, #93 THERIOT, #96 CORMIER, #98 DUGAS.
In New Hampshire: #14 ROY, #15 GAGNON, #20 COTE, #30 MORIN, #44 BOUCHER, #48 PELLETIER,
#50 GAGNE, #56 BERGERON, #57 LANDRY, #62 LAVOIE, #63 OUELLETTE, #72 LAMBERT,
#74 LEBLANC, #76 LEVESQUE, #77 NADEAU, #79 MICHAUD, #80 CARON, #81 GILBERT, #91 DEMERS,
#94 FOURNIER, #98 BELANGER.
In Vermont: #63 ROY, #66 BUSHEY, #77 BENOIT, #83 PAQUETTE, #87 RAYMOND, #97 GILBERT.

 revised: 12 June 2003