Dan A. Gwadosky was a Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

 politician. A Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, Gwadosky was first elected to the served Maine House of Representatives

Maine House of Representatives

The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state. Each voting member of the House represents around 8,450 citizens of the state...

 in 1978 at the age of 23 and served there for 18 years as well as 8 years as Secretary of State of Maine

Secretary of State of Maine

The Secretary of State of Maine is elected by the Legislature in that U.S. state. The Maine Secretary of State is responsible for administering elections, the Maine State Archives, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and for chartering corporations. The Secretary of State is elected to no more than two...

 from 1997-2005. Beginning in 2005, Gwadosky was appointed Director of the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations. He was Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives

Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives

The Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives is the speaker and presiding officer of the Maine House of Representatives, the lower house of the Maine Legislature.-List of speakers:...

 from 1994-1996.

Personal and education

Gwadosky was born in Maine and attended Lawrence High School

Lawrence High School (Maine)

Lawrence High School is a four-year public high school located in Fairfield, Maine, United States. It is a part of the Maine School Administrative District 49 and is the district's only public high school. Lawrence serves students from the four towns of Albion, Benton, Clinton, and Fairfield. . ...

 in Fairfield

Fairfield

-Australia:*Fairfield, New South Wales, the most populous place in Australia with that place name**Electoral district of Fairfield, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly*Fairfield, Queensland*Fairfield, Victoria...

. He earned a B.S. in Management and a M.A. in Computer Technology from Thomas College

Thomas College

Thomas College is a small, liberal arts college located in Waterville, Maine, U.S. It was founded in 1894 as a non-sectarian, co-educational college dedicated to career training. Thomas specializes in business, education, and technology...

 in Waterville

Waterville, Maine

Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....

. He was married to Cheryl Norton, who works for Sappi

Sappi

Sappi Limited is a global pulp and paper company group.Sappi is a producer of coated fine paper and chemical cellulose. The company conducts its business through three business units: Sappi Fine Paper, Sappi Forest Products and Sappi Trading....

 fine paper in Skowhegan

Skowhegan, Maine

Skowhegan is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 8,824. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuous state fair in the United States...

. They have two children and lived in Augusta

Augusta, Maine

Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...

. Gwadosky died in August 2011 because of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...

.