Former Governor of Maine and U.S. Congressman Joseph E. Brennan passed away at his home in Portland on Friday evening. He was 89, the Associated Press Reported.

The late governor died with his wife by his side a few blocks away from the house where his Irish immigrant parents raised a family of eight children, Frank O’Hara, a longtime friend.

Former Democratic Gov. Joe Baldacci described Brennan as a friend, a mentor, and a dedicated servant.

“He was a man of the highest integrity who led Maine through difficult times. He believed he was obligated to make things better, and he lived that ideal through his commitment to public education and improving the state’s economy.” Baldacci said.

Current Gov. Janet Mills, a fellow Democrat who was appointed by Brennan in 1980 as the first woman to serve as district attorney, sent her condolences in a heart-warming statement.

“Gov. Brennan demonstrated for me and others that politics is about building relationships,” she said. “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.”

Brennan, who served two terms as Maine’s governor from 1979 to 1987, entered politics at 29. Brennan launched education reforms, pressed for tough highway safety measures and helped establish the Finance Authority of Maine.

He served in the army and graduated from Boston College under the GI Bill before completing the University of Maine Law School.

Brennan also represented Maine’s 1st Congressional District in Washington, DC, from 1987 to 1991.

Aside from being a governor, Brennan also served Maine as a county district attorney, attorney general and lawmaker. 

George Mitchell, Former Majority Leader of the United States Senate, described Brennan as a superb leader and lawyer who understood the importance of a firm and fair justice system in our democracy.

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