Washington, D.C. – On Maine’s 199th birthday, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Jared Golden (D-ME) wrote to the United States Postal Service (USPS) expressing their strong support for creating a commemorative postal stamp in celebration of Maine’s bicentennial on March 15, 2020.

“Since joining the Union 199 years ago as the 23rd state in 1820, Maine has contributed enormously to the social fabric of our country,” the Maine Delegation wrote.  “The people of Maine are diverse, hard-working, and kind.  Grateful in good times and resilient in bad, Mainers exemplify community spirit at its best.  Our state motto is Dirigo, ‘I lead,’ and the people of Maine have always demonstrated the strong commitment to serve others above themselves.  In fact, Maine has one of the highest percentages of veterans per capita in the United States.”

“Thank you for working with the State of Maine to create a commemorative postal stamp in honor of Maine’s bicentennial in 2020 that celebrates our cultural history and rich heritage,” the Maine Delegation continued.  “We look forward to its reveal!”

The USPS issues a commemorative postage stamp honoring a state’s first entry into the Union on the 50-year anniversaries of that date.  The USPS works with the state government to select the stamp’s design and coordinate any celebrations.

Maine’s 1970 sesquicentennial postal stamp pictured The Lighthouse at Two Lights, Maine, by Edward Hopper.  The original painting hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York City.

Click HERE to read the full letter.