Apr. 6—Former Maine Gov. Joseph Brennan, a Portland native who served as the state’s 70th governor from 1979 to 1987 as part of a lengthy career in politics, died at his home Saturday. He was 89.

In a statement confirming Brennan’s death, fellow Maine Democrat and former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell said that Maine has lost a great leader.

“All of us who were fortunate to work with him learned from him how to deal with people and with important and sometimes difficult issues,” Mitchell said. “He was a superb leader and lawyer who understood the importance of a firm and fair system of justice in our democracy. I worked with him and learned from him over many years.

“His family and the people of Maine have lost a great man, and I have lost a dear friend.”

Mitchell was one of many prominent Maine political figures whose careers intersected with Brennan during the Portland native’s five decades in public service. A graduate of Cheverus High School, Brennan held nearly every major position in Maine politics and served under three presidents on the Federal Maritime Commission. In addition to governor, he spent time as Cumberland County district attorney and Maine attorney general, and was elected to both chambers of the state Legislature as well as the U.S. House of Representatives.

After news of Brennan’s death broke, Maine leaders rushed to honor their friend, mentor and political rival.

Former Gov. John Baldacci, who served in the state Senate when Brennan was governor, issued a statement calling Brennan “a man of the highest integrity, who led Maine through difficult times.”

“He cared deeply for the people of his native state and served them well,” wrote Sen. Susan Collins, who edged Brennan in a race in 1996 to win her first term in the U.S. Senate.

“I do not think it would be wrong to suggest that he was one of Maine’s greatest Governors,” U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, said in a statement. “Joe was deeply committed to social justice, economic equality, and protecting our environment, and I always greatly appreciated his guidance and friendship.”

Gov. Janet Mills credited Brennan with launching her political career when he made her the state’s first female district attorney in 1980.

“Gov. Brennan demonstrated for me and others that politics is about building relationships, that public service is not about enriching yourself but about enriching the lives of others, and that the most important relationship is the one we have with the people we serve,” Mills said in a statement.

‘THE ULTIMATE PUBLIC SERVANT’

The fifth of eight children born to Irish immigrants John Joseph Brennan and Catherine Josephine Mulkern, Brennan grew up listening to his parents speak Gaelic in the family home on Kellogg Street. The lively Munjoy Hill neighborhood was a melting pot of Irish, Italian and Jewish residents, said Frank O’Hara, a former speechwriter who became a close friend of Brennan. He said that upbringing instilled in Brennan both a deep pride of his ethnic heritage and the urge to stand up for the working class.

After a stint in the Army, Brennan developed a love for public service, O’Hara said. He attended Boston College on the G.I. bill, graduated first in his class from the University of Maine Law School, and soon won a seat in the Maine Legislature in 1964 — just the first stop on what would become an illustrious career.

Following three terms in the Maine House of Representatives, he was elected county attorney for Cumberland County in 1970, according to the National Governors Association. In 1972, he was elected to the Maine Senate; three years later, he was elected state attorney general.

After his two terms as governor, Brennan served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 until 1991, after which he entered private practice as an attorney in Washington, D.C., according to the governors association.

“He was the ultimate public servant. He spent his entire life in service to the people of Maine,” said Jerry Conley Jr., whose father, former state legislator and Portland Mayor Gerard P. Conley, was close friends with Brennan. “He was very conscious of the poor and taking care of those who’ve been left behind, but he was also very frugal with a dollar,” Conley said.

Outside of politics, Conley added, Brennan was kind and gentle with a “terrific wit.”

“He was a great pool player, scary card player and enjoyed horses,” true to his Irish heritage, Conley said.

Sen. Angus King, who defeated Brennan in a race for governor in 1994, said Brennan stood out for his decency and humility — traits that people don’t always associate with politicians.

“Nobody knew Maine or Maine politics any better,” he said. “I’ve always thought of Joe as one of the great examples of the American dream.”

Brennan died peacefully at his home on Munjoy Hill, just a few blocks from where he was born. He is survived by his wife, Connie, and two children, J.B. and Tara.

This story will be updated.