Olympia Snowe overcame the early deaths of both of her parents and her first husband to build a strong political career grounded in fiscal conservatism and to forge a fulfilling personal life based on a strong second marriage and community involvement.

Olympia Snowe's career is characterized by a number of firsts. Most notably, when she was elected to Congress from the Maine second congressional district in 1978 at the age of 31, she was the youngest Republican and the first Greek American woman to serve in Congress. As a U.S. Senator representing the state of Maine, Snowe is well-known for her work on budget-deficit reduction, fiscal issues, health care, women's issues, and foreign affairs.

Snowe was born Olympia Jean Bouchles in 1947 in Augusta, Maine. Her father, George, immigrated to the United States from Mytilene, Greece, and her mother, Georgia Goranites Bouchles, was a second-generation Greek whose parents had come to America from Sparta. Snowe's parents died when she was young, and she was raised by her Aunt Mary and Uncle James Goranites of Auburn, Maine. After attending St. Basil's Academy in Garrison, New York, Snowe completed her secondary education at Edward Little High School in Auburn. She went on to receive a degree in political science from the University of Maine at Orono in 1969.

Snowe sparked her political career from the ashes of tragedy. She was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1973 to fill the seat that was left vacant by her first husband, Peter Snowe. She was re-elected to the seat for a full two-year term in 1974. When Snowe's term was up in the House, she ran for, and was elected to, the Maine Senate in 1976, where she chaired the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Institutional Services. In this position, she gained recognition for her work on health care issues and for sponsoring legislation in the health field