Ruohomaa attended a dinner meeting of Maine democrats sometime in the 1950s to photograph some distinguished speakers, most notably Governor Ed Muskie. Muskie was born in Rumford, Maine in 1914, and was the first Roman Catholic to be elected Governor of his state. He won the office (which he held from 1955-59) on a platform promoting economic growth and environmental protection; he continued rigorous pursuit of the latter cause throughout his life.

Muskie was the child of Polish-American parents; his father had immigrated from Russian-controlled Poland in 1903 and changed the family name from Marciszewski to Muskie the year Ed was born. After his term as governor, he would go on to serve as a US Senator, and then Secretary of State, and would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work during the Iran Hostage crisis. March 28th is “Edmund Muskie Day,” a Maine state holiday.