Elmer H. Violette

Elmer Hector Violette (February 2, 1921 – June 18, 2000) was an American jurist and politician from Maine. Violette was a Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from August 31, 1981 to August 1, 1986.

Violette, a staunch Democrat, served in the Maine House of Representatives and the Maine Senate.

Education and military career[]

Violette graduated from Ricker College in 1941 and returned to Van Buren. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1942 without opposition, but resigned on January 15, 1943 after being drafted into the Air Force during World War II. He went to meteorological school in Illinois and spent three years at the Bangor Air National Guard Base (then Dow Field) and CFB Goose Bay in Labrador as a weather-watcher. He was discharged from service in December 1945.

Political career[]

He returned to Van Buren and was elected again to the Maine House of Representatives in 1946. He did not seek re-election in 1948 and instead studied at the Boston University School of Law.^[1] He was later elected to the Maine Senate in 1964 and 1968, which included time as Senate Minority Leader.^[2]

In 1966, Violette was the Democratic nominee for United States Senate. He faced incumbent Republican Senator Margaret Chase Smith. Violet received 41% of the vote and Chase Smith was re-elected. In 1972, Violette sought to replace William Hathaway as the Congressman from Maine's 2nd district, but lost to Republican William Cohen.^[2]

Violette's son, Paul Elmer Violette, also served in the Maine Legislature, but was later sent to prison for embezzling $430,000 from the Maine Turnpike Authority while he headed the quasi-state agency;^[3] Paul Violette served five terms, including three in the Senate and one as Senate Majority Leader in 1985-1986.^[4]

Death[]

Violette died on June 18, 2000 at Cary Medical Center in Caribou, following a car accident 10 days earlier.^[2]

References[]