Douglas Rooks, Maine Author and Journalist

NEW and Available Now

Transformational: Ken Curtis, Maine’s Reform Governor

When elected in 1966 at age 35, Ken Curtis was the nation’s youngest Governor. He served eight years through war and social upheaval, a liberal Democrat who nonetheless transformed state government almost beyond recognition – all while working with a Republican Legislature. Creating Cabinet government, an income tax to fund the University of Maine System, vastly expanding public schools, conserving wilderness, and adopting landmark environmental legislation were just the beginning.

Among the new agencies launched were the Departments of Conservation and Environmental Protection, State Planning Office, Maine State Housing, Human Rights Commission, Commission on Aging, and Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

Sixty years later, the breadth and durability of these landmarks achieved amid daunting trials offer profound lessons from his time for our own.

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Cover of a book titled 'Transformational: Ken Curtis, Maine's Reform Governor, featuring a Governor Curtis with gray hair in a black sweater standing on a beach with ocean waves in the background, and a sticker on the bottom that says 'Curtis Cares'.
Douglas Rooks sits outdoors on a green lawn, holding a book titled 'Transformational,' wearing a blue and white striped shirt, gray pants, a beigte hat, and glasses.

Maine author, journalist, and historian

Douglas Rooks is a Maine journalist, editor, author, and political history buff. He has edited daily and weekly newspapers in Maine and New Hampshire and written a weekly opinion column for over 45 years, winning state, regional, and national awards. Now a freelance writer and editor, the Colby alumnus covers Maine state government with a focus on environmental issues, public education, municipal affairs, business, and tax policy. He lives in the state capital of Augusta, Maine, with his wife, dog Homer, and cat Gimli.

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Praise for Transformational:

  • “Ken Curtis was the most consequential governor in recent Maine history – and that includes me! He fundamentally reorganized the structure of state government and led the adoption of a fairer tax system — all without a majority of his party in either house of the Legislature at any time during his tenure. This book, by one of Maine’s most perceptive political observers, skillfully defines those qualities of personality, determination, and straightforward leadership that enabled Ken to become universally respected while also making a profound difference for Maine.”

    —Angus King, Maine Governor 1995-2003, U.S. Senator, 2013-present

  • “Secretary of State turned Governor Ken Curtis was not only ‘The Man With a Plan’ but also had the courage to blaze new trails and do hard things, permanently transforming Maine state government for the better. Douglas Rooks skillfully charts the path of a farmer’s son to the Blaine House and, beyond that, inspires all of us committed to positive change.”

    —Shenna Bellows, Maine Secretary of State

  • “Douglas Rooks has written the definitive biography of Maine Gov. Ken Curtis. Both entertaining and informative, it importantly reinforces Curtis's role as one of the most significant change agents in Maine history. Curtis...pursuaded political opponents to pass an income tax that survived a referendum attack while Curtis himself achieved reelection. Today's politicians need to study Curtis's achievements to learn how he and his friends defined needed reforms and brought them to fruition.”

    —Peter Mills, former State Senator and Maine Turnpike Authority Executive Director

Books by Douglas Rooks

Books
Rise, Decline and Renewal: The Democratic Party in Maine
Rise, Decline and Renewal: The Democratic Party in Maine

Rise, Decline and Renewal tells the remarkable story of the Maine Democratic Party – how it rose from irrelevance in 1954 with the election of Governor Ed Muskie, challenged the ruling Republican Party over the next two decades, and passed wide-ranging reform that produced a model government for a state long perceived as a cultural and economic backwater. Now, Maine’s largest political party can again seize the initiative, energize a new generation of young people, and govern in the public interest once more.

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Statesman: George Mitchell and the Art of the Possible
Statesman: George Mitchell and the Art of the Possible

George Mitchell is much more than a Senator from Maine. From a time when opposing parties worked together to accomplish things for the good of the nation, rather than the good of the party, Mitchell was an attorney and then a judge in Maine before his Senate run. Known for his work on the environment, the brokering of the peace in Ireland, and efforts in the Middle East, Mitchell is one of Maine’s most famous political figures.

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First Franco: Albert Beliveau in Law, Politics, and Love
First Franco: Albert Beliveau in Law, Politics, and Love

This richly detailed book adds to our understanding of the migration experience in the United States, particularly about the integration of French speakers into U. S. society. In its portrayal of Albert Beliveau as a first-generation Franco-American, this biography teaches us a great deal about such themes as acculturation, the rise from the working class, and the development of political consciousness among Maine’s largest ethnic group.

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Calm Command: U.S. Chief Justice Melville Fuller in His Times, 1888-1910
Calm Command: U.S. Chief Justice Melville Fuller in His Times, 1888-1910

Melville Fuller, among the most prominent Maine natives of his day, is little known today. This groundbreaking biography, the first in 70 years, restores him to his rightful place amid one of the most turbulent, dynamic eras of American history, not stinting his flaws, but highlighting his considerable accomplishments in uniting a fractious Supreme Court behind his patient and steady leadership.

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Douglas Rooks on WABI TV5 Book Club
Jul 9
Douglas Rooks on WABI TV5 Book Club

When elected in 1966 at age 35, Ken Curtis was the nation’s youngest Governor. He served eight years through war and social upheaval, a liberal Democrat who nonetheless transformed state government almost beyond recognition – all while working with a Republican Legislature. Creating Cabinet government, an income tax to fund the University of Maine System, vastly expanding public schools, conserving wilderness, and adopting landmark environmental legislation were just the beginning.