LEWISTON — Writer James Witherell is releasing a new book timed to the 100th birthday of one of Maine’s most revered politicians, the late Edmund Muskie. The 352-page book is called “Ed Muskie: Made in Maine” and covers the first 36 years of his life and career, before Muskie became a national statesman. The Sun Journal wanted to learn a little more about the project and its Lewiston writer.

Name: James Witherell

Age: 60

Hometown: West Peru, Maine — but like Ed Muskie I was born in Rumford

Single, relationship or married? Relationship with Sue, who, for some reason, has put up with me for 29 years.

Children? I am my only child.

You’ve written several books. How do you pick your projects? I always write about something that really interests me. Both of my biographical subjects, L. L. Bean and Edmund S. Muskie, were born very close to where I grew up, and both led fascinating lives. As for the Tour de France book, I’ve always been a huge fan of cycling in general and the Tour in particular. And then there’s the matter of timing: I find 100th anniversaries captivating because I’m sure that there’s going to be plenty to write about — and it’ll be interesting too.

What was it about Ed Muskie that made you want to spend the time researching him? Not only would March 28 have been his 100th birthday, it was also time for another look at Ed Muskie’s life. The last books written about him were two biographies and his autobiography, all of which came out back when he was running for president more than 40 years ago.

What’s your process like when researching a book? Basically, I’ll take whatever information I can get, as long as I can verify it. With the Bean and Tour de France books I had to work independently, using books, magazines and newspaper articles as sources. Even though the Ed Muskie book isn’t officially authorized by anyone, I was able to do research in the Muskie Archives at Bates College whenever I needed to. I was also able to purchase several wonderful photographs from them.

Did you ever meet Muskie? Unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet him (I was about 5 years old when he left for Washington), but it seems like everyone else I talk to had met him at one time or another. His wife, Jane, once joked that he was re-elected governor so overwhelmingly in 1956 because, by then, he’d met almost every person in Maine.

After spending all this time studying Muskie, did your opinion of the man change? Having graduated from Rumford High School in the Muskie Auditorium, I already knew a good deal about him, but the more research I did, the more my appreciation of his character increased. After becoming governor in 1955, he was always ready to compromise with the Republicans, who controlled the Maine Legislature, but he also accomplished a lot through well-reasoned persuasion.

Did you discover anything about Muskie that surprised you? The biggest thing that surprised me was the fact that he became governor almost by accident. Sure he campaigned hard once he decided to run, but he ended up running only because several other Democrats declined to enter the race. Ed’s 1954 campaign was supposed to be just a dry run so that everything was in order for Frank Coffin to make a real run for the Blaine House in ’56 (back then the governor served a two-year term).

Given the current atmosphere in politics, both in Maine and nationally, do you think Muskie would be in politics today? I think so. The main reason he got into politics in the first place was to work for a government that represented everybody, and today we need that more than ever.

Your book covers Muskie from his childhood in Rumford to his service as governor from 1955 to 1959. He later became a leader in national politics because of his work in the U.S. Senate, as a presidential candidate and as secretary of state. Why stop in Maine? When I began writing the book I understood that a law professor in Missouri was writing a book about Ed Muskie as a national figure, so I just figured that if I concentrated on Muskie’s Maine years, I’d be writing about something I knew, the books would complement each other, plus it would give me a logical place to stop.

Will there be a second book? It’s hard to say right now. It kind of depends on how this one does, if there’s a demand for a follow-up book and whether or not that professor actually wrote his book

How do you think Muskie is remembered today? What’s his legacy? Within the confines of my book, his greatest achievement has to be the fact that he broke the GOP stranglehold on Maine politics and brought a true two-party system to the state. Of course, beyond the scope of my book, he’ll be remembered for anti-pollution efforts and his ill-fated speech on that snowy day outside of the Manchester Union Leader — and for being one of our nation’s greatest politicians and statesmen.

What’s your next project? Right now I’m at a loss. I have no real project, but have been playing around with a book about words — confusing words, incorrectly used words, pet peeves, etc. It’s kind of a hobby, so I’m not sure that it will actually go anywhere.

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