William MacVane

William Leslie MacVane Jr. (June 12, 1915 – August 1, 2010) was an American surgeon and politician. MacVane assisted in the first open heart surgery performed in Maine in 1959 and served as the mayor of Portland, Maine, for one term in 1971.

Biography

Early life MacVane was born on State Street in Portland, Maine, to William L. MacVane Sr. and Bertha May Achorn. The doctors asked MacVane to accompany them on their rounds during his recovery. to 1971.

He was also elected to the Portland School Board and served as a member of the Portland Transit Authority.

Philanthropy MacVane served on the boards of directors for numerous organizations, including the Portland Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Portland YMCA. He also headed or chaired the committees for the Portland Bicentennial Committee, the Portland Public Library and the Reiche School.

Later life MacVane remained active throughout his life. He won the New England seniors badminton doubles and singles championships in 1990. He continued to attend classes at the University of Southern Maine's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute into his 90s. During his life, MacVane was a member of many Portland area organizations and societies, including Portland Rotary Club, the Masons, the Western Maine Torch Club, the Cumberland Club, Sigma Phi Society and the Portland Yacht Club.

MacVane died on August 1, 2010, at the age of 95. He was survived by three children from his 60-year marriage to his wife, Margaret MacVane: two daughters, Lesley MacVane and Margaret Murray and a son, Captain Forbes MacVane of the U.S. Navy. He was also survived by two children from his first marriage, William Harris and Patricia MacVane.

MacVane was the oldest living Mayor of Portland at the time of his death in 2010.