I don't think we have too many pipe-smoking personalities in Maryland, but I discovered that former Governor Marvin Mandel was apparently a pipe enthusiast. My wife works for a politician and Maryland opened their legislative session last week, which means a lot of parties and socials. At one, my wife was introduced to the former Governor by a lobbyist she knows. Later, she mentioned going down to the Annapolis Smoke Shop to pick up some tobacco for me. He asked if she knew the Governor was a pretty big pipe enthusiast and has pretty large pipe collection room at his mansion. He offered to take us to meet him and view his collection and said most folks don't really care about pipes any more so he thought the Governor would be thrilled to show off his pipes. We're going down in February to spend a weekend in Annapolis and will take him up on that offer.
Governor Mandel was somewhat infamous in political circles and spent time in jail for some fraud charges which were later dropped and commuted by Reagan. I didn't know much about him, as I was 18 when he left public office.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Mandel
I've seen the river side of his mansion from a friends boat, a stately Southern style. I'm sure it is gorgeous inside. From what little I've read, he was a Longchamp fan and rarely seen without it. I'll have to call the Smoke Shop or Faders and find out his tobacco of choice. He's 91 years old now, hopefully he still smokes. Here's a few shots I found on the web. I'll definitely take my camera and do a report on my visit, it sure sounds like an interesting opportunity.
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