Donald Collins
Member of the Maine Senate
from the 2nd district
In office
December 1986 – December 1992
Succeeded byLeo Kieffer
Member of the Maine Senate
from the 31st district
In office
December 1976 – December 1978
Preceded byHayes Gahagan
Member of the
Maine House of Representatives
from Aroostook
In office
December 1970 – December 1972
Personal details
Born
Donald Frederick Collins

(1925-11-30)November 30, 1925
Caribou, Maine, U.S.
DiedMarch 10, 2018(2018-03-10) (aged 92)
Caribou, Maine, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
(m. 1948)​
Children6, including Susan
Alma materUniversity of Maine (BA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1943–1946
RankSergeant
Battles/warsWorld War II
Awards Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart (2)

Donald Frederick Collins (November 30, 1925 – March 10, 2018)[1] was an American politician from Maine. Collins, a Republican from Caribou, Aroostook County, served 5 terms in the Maine Legislature between 1970 and 1992. He also served as mayor of Caribou.[2]

In 1970, Collins was elected to the Maine House of Representatives, and served a single term. In 1976, Collins was elected to his first, two-year term in the Maine Senate. Running again in 1986, Collins was re-elected, serving three more terms in the Maine Senate, retiring in 1992 from elected office.[3]

Background and Family

Donald Collins was the father of United States Senator Susan Collins.[2] His brother, Samuel W. Collins Jr., sat on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from 1988 to 1994 and served in the Maine Senate from 1972 to 1984. He was one of four children in his family and had six children. Collins was born in Caribou, Maine. He served in the United States Army during World War II, receiving a Bronze Star for heroism, and a Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster, after being wounded twice in the Battle of the Bulge. Collins went to the University of Maine. He worked in the family lumber business, established by his great-great grandfather, Samuel Collins, in 1844.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Donald Collins - Mockler Funeral Home". mocklerfuneralhome.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b Ting, Dennis (March 3, 2014). "Politics: The family business". CNN. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Legislators Biographical Search". Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  4. ^ Burns, Christopher (March 11, 2018). "Donald Collins, father of Sen. Susan Collins, dies at 92". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 11 March 2018.


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