Editing Susan Collins (section)

==Early life==

One of six children, Collins was born in [[Caribou, Maine]], where her family operates a [[lumber]] business established by her great-great-great-grandfather, Samuel W. Collins, in 1844.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/06/us/politics/susan-collins-election.html|title=Susan Collins, a Fixture in Maine, Has Twin Troubles: Trump and Kavanaugh|last=Stolberg|first=Sheryl Gay|date=July 6, 2019|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=July 12, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Her parents, [[Patricia M. Collins|Patricia (née McGuigan)]] and [[Donald Collins (Maine politician)|Donald Collins]] (1925–2018), each served as mayor of Caribou.<ref name=":7" /> Her father, a decorated veteran of [[World War II]], also served in the [[Maine Legislature]], with one term in the House, and four in the Senate.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bangordailynews.com/2018/03/11/obituaries/donald-collins-father-of-sen-susan-collins-dies-at-92/ |title=Donald Collins, father of Sen. Susan Collins, dies at 92|last=Burns|first=Christopher|date=March 11, 2018|work=[[Bangor Daily News]]|access-date=April 27, 2018}}</ref><ref name="rettig">{{Cite news|date=February 10, 2010|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|title=10 Things You Didn't Know About Susan Collins|url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2010/02/02/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-susan-collins.html|last=Rettig|first=Jessica}}</ref> Her uncle, [[Samuel Collins (politician)|Samuel W. Collins Jr.]], sat on the [[Maine Supreme Judicial Court]] from 1988 to 1994 and served in the [[Maine Senate]] from 1973 to 1984.<ref name="time" />

Collins attended [[Caribou High School]], where she was president of the [[student council]].<ref name="program">{{cite press release |date=January 22, 2010|work=United States Senator Susan M. Collins|title=Outstanding Maine Students Selected for Senate Youth Program |url-status=dead |url=https://collins.senate.gov/public/continue.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.WeeklyColumn&ContentRecord_id=578c378d-802a-23ad-459d-ef3494ec2576&| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721062629/https://www.collins.senate.gov/public/continue.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.WeeklyColumn&ContentRecord_id=578c378d-802a-23ad-459d-ef3494ec2576&| archive-date=July 21, 2011}}</ref> During her senior year of high school in 1971, she was chosen to participate in the [[United States Senate Youth Program|U.S. Senate Youth Program]], through which she visited [[Washington, D.C.]], for the first time and had a two-hour conversation with Maine's first female [[United States Senate|United States Senator]], [[Margaret Chase Smith]], also a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]. Collins is the first program delegate elected to the Senate and holds the seat once held by Smith.<ref name="program" /> After graduating from high school, she continued her education at [[St. Lawrence University]] in [[Canton (village), New York|Canton, New York]].<ref name="congress">{{cite news|work=[[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]]|title= COLLINS, Susan Margaret|url=https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=c001035 }}</ref> Like her father, she was elected to the [[Phi Beta Kappa]] national academic honor society. She graduated from St. Lawrence ''[[Latin honors|magna cum laude]]'' with a bachelor's degree in government in 1975.<ref name="campaign">{{cite news|url=http://www.susancollins.com/about-susan-collins|title=About Susan Collins|work=Susan Collins for Senate|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308100033/http://www.susancollins.com/about-susan-collins|archive-date=March 8, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>