Haskell, Nathaniel Mervyn

Haskell was born in Pittsfield, Maine . His parents died when he was two years old. Then he, along with his sister Emilia and her husband, moved to Portland . Haskell graduated from Deering High School. Determined to be a lawyer, he graduated from Peabody Law School in 1934 and was admitted to the Maine Bar. He soon opened his office in downtown Portland.

In 1943, Haskell was elected to the House of Representatives of Maine. Re-elected in 1945, 1947 and 1949. Since 1945 he has been the Speaker of the House. 1951 elected to the Senate of Maine, in 1953 re-elected and appointed chairman of the Senate.

Haskell’s short period of governorship was the result of a line of inheritance of gubernatorial powers, similar to the presidency. Immediately after the announcement of the results of the 1952 gubernatorial elections, Governor Frederick Payne resigned to prepare to take a seat in the Senate . Since Maine does not have a lieutenant governor, the Senate chairman is the first in succession. Burton Cross, the current chairman of the Senate, elected governor, took office by inheritance. The term of the elected governor was to begin only on January 7, 1953. At 10:00 on January 6, 1953, the term of Cross as chairman of the Senate expired. Haskell, as the newly appointed chairman, took over as governor until 11:00 on January 7, that is, before Burton Cross's oath.

Haskell remained chairman of the Senate until the end of 1953, when he was appointed judge of Cumberland County.