WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King recently penned a foreword to “Blessed Boyhood!” The ‘Early Memoir’ of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a book published by Bowdoin College and annotated by historians Thomas A. Desjardin and David K. Thomson to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the American Civil War. As a long-time admirer of Chamberlain, Senator King regards the General as “the greatest citizen that Maine has ever produced.”

In his foreword, Senator King highlights the origins of Chamberlain’s character, intellect, and command of prose which are often regarded as some of Chamberlain’s most impressive qualities. In particular, Senator King observes the significance of General Chamberlain’s character, a trait that is difficult to define but was critically important to his leadership style later in life.

“Adherence to principle, courage, honesty, and integrity describe [character] but don’t define it. What does define it is the life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and this memoir provides a powerful insight into how that character came to be.”

As a Distinguished Lecturer at Bowdoin College, Senator King taught a class on “Leaders and Leadership” that drew heavily from the lessons of Chamberlain’s personal life experiences. Those lessons have continued to guide and inspire him in his work as one of Maine’s two U.S. Senators. This June Senator King paid tribute to Chamberlain as he commemorated the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg from the floor of the United States Senate. A video of his remarks can be found here.

General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain served as commander of the 20^th Maine infantry during the Battle of Gettysburg and received the Medal of Honor for his heroism at Little Round Top. After his distinguished military career, he went on to serve as Maine’s 32^nd governor and later as president of Bowdoin College from 1871-1883.

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