By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

Former Congressman and judge Frank Coffin was remembered this week as a judicial legend who dedicated his life to improving the legal justice system for low-income Mainers.

Coffin, who served more than 40 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals, died Monday with his wife of 67 years, Ruth, and their four children by his side. The 90-year-old South Portland resident underwent emergency surgery for an aortic aneurysm on Nov. 21.

Coffin was one of a few individuals to serve in all three branches of the federal government. Though largely known for his contributions to the legal system and Democratic Party, he also was an accomplished sculptor, painter and writer who enjoyed spending time with his family.

Coffin was born in Lewiston on July 11, 1919, and educated in public schools. He graduated from Bates College in 1940, Harvard Business School in 1943 and Harvard Law School in 1947. During World War II, Coffin served in the Pacific Theater as an ensign and lieutenant with the Navy.

In a journal entry written before he began his legal career, Coffin wrote, “I am to study law with the intention of using it as a tool for social progress. I shall aim at the very top; I pray to God that I shall never be blinded from seeing this social goal by any personal considerations. God give me humility, patience, ability, willpower and humor.”

Coffin was admitted to the bar and began practicing law in Lewiston, as his grandfather had done before him. He later joined Verrill Dana’s Portland office, was chairman of the Maine Democratic Committee and represented the second district in Congress from 1957 to 1961. He ran for governor in 1960, losing to Republican John Reed.

Coffin and former Sen. Edmund Muskie were credited with rebuilding the Maine Democratic Party in the 1950s. 

Coffin served as chief judge of the First Circuit from 1972 to 1983 and retired from active judicial service in 2006. He was the author of three books on appellate judging. One book, “A Lexicon of Oral Advocacy,” was illustrated by his son, Douglas.  

The Frank M. Coffin Family Law Fellowship was founded in 1998 and is supported by law firms in the greater Portland area. Coffin fellows provide pro bono legal service to low-income Mainers. He also helped create the Campaign for Justice, a fundraising appeal for the state’s six legal aid providers, which has raised more than $1 million in contributions. 

In 1992, the University of Maine School of Law established the Frank M. Coffin Lecture on Law and Public Service. He also received the Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award presented by the American Judicature Society. 

After his retirement, Coffin was able to spend more time with his wife, who he began dating while he was a student at Bates. According to his obituary, both were avid readers who turned her failing eyesight into “one of the joys of their life together” as he read to her each day. 

Coffin completed his multi-volume memoirs weeks before his death and continued to work in his sculpting workshop daily until he became ill, according to his obituary. 

Maine Chief Justice Leigh Saufley described Coffin as “an extraordinary figure in Maine jurisprudence” for 60 years. In a statement, Saufley praised Coffin’s commitment to ensuring Maine people had access to attorneys and the legal opinions he penned during his career. 

“More than that, however, Frank was just a really wonderful man. His warmth and humor were a gift to all of us, and those who had the privilege of knowing and working with him were grateful that such a unique judicial leader spent his career in Maine,” he said.

Saufley also said Coffin was a mentor and friend to generations of lawyers and judges, including those on the Maine Supreme Court.

Gov. John Baldacci said in a statement he admired Coffin’s “strength of intellect and dedication to the people of Maine.”

“Judge Coffin distinguished himself on the bench, setting the bar for judicial temperament. But he will also be remembered for his commitment to quality legal representation for Maine people,” he said. “He connected with everyday working people, especially low-income families. His dedication to upholding the law and strengthening our state established him as a role model. He will be greatly missed.”

Sen. Olympia Snowe and her husband, former Gov. John McKernan Jr., released a statement saying they are “deeply saddened” by Coffin’s death. They described Coffin as an “irreplaceable, much-admired and beloved pillar of the law and the public.”

“Highly regarded for his keen intellect, impeccable integrity and strength of character, Judge Coffin was an inspiration to us all,” they said. “Indeed, he was not only a legal standard bearer, but also a dedicated public servant and a tireless steward for the common good whose commitment to legal services for low-income families was but one of the many enduring hallmarks of this truly distinguished jurist.”

In addition to his wife, Coffin is survived by his four children, Nancy Coffin Kurtz; Douglas Coffin and his wife, Janet Milley; Meredith Coffin and her husband, Dan Hallett; and Susan Coffin Babb and her husband, Ed Babb; a brother, Jack Coffin and his wife, Judy; and six grandchildren, Esther, Nathan and Adam Kurtz, Sigrid and Harpswell Coffin and Morey Hallett.

A public celebration of Coffin’s life will be held at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 2 at the Abromson Community Education Center at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his memory be made to the University of Maine School of Law Foundation, 246 Deering Ave., Portland ME 04102.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham may be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.