FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION

JOSEPH E. BRENNAN BECOMES MEMBER OF
FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20573

NR 99-14

 

CONTACT: Bryant L. VanBrakle, Secretary at (202) 523-5725.

FOR RELEASE: November 18, 1999

The Federal Maritime Commission today announced that Joseph E. Brennan has been sworn in as a member of the Commission. Commissioner Brennan has been appointed to a term that will expire June 30, 2003.

Commissioner Brennan, of Portland, Maine, comes to the Commission to continue a distinguished career of public service. After graduating from Boston College and then receiving a J.D. degree from the University of Maine School of Law, he became a representative in the Maine House in 1965. Mr. Brennan went on to serve as District Attorney for Cumberland County in Maine, as a Maine State Senator, and as the State's Attorney General. He was elected Governor of the State of Maine in 1979, a position he held until 1987, and also served as Chairman of the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers. He subsequently served in the U.S. House of Representatives until 1991, and then entered private practice as an attorney in Washington, D.C.

Chairman Harold J. Creel, Jr., praised Mr. Brennan in welcoming him to the agency:  "We all are extremely pleased that Joe Brennan is joining us as our newest Commissioner. Joe brings a world of experience and knowledge to the Commission, and he definitely will enrich our deliberations. I have been very impressed with Joe's pragmatic approach to things, as well as his keen grasp of relevant issues. I am happy to have Joe as a colleague, and I look forward to working with him on the many important matters facing the ocean shipping industry."

The Commission is awaiting another change in membership as well. Commissioner Ming Hsu is scheduled to retire on December 31, 1999. Mr. Antony Merck of South Carolina has been appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate as a Commissioner, and will be joining the agency the first of next year upon Commissioner Hsu's retirement. Additional information on this transition will be provided at a later date.

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