C. Douglas Cairns

Claude Douglas Cairns (June 1, 1914 – July 6, 1985) was an American politician who served as the 31st Mayor of Burlington, Vermont. His mayoral victory in 1957 ended eighteen years of Democratic control of Burlington's mayoralty since Republican Louis Fenner Dow left office in 1939.

C. Douglas Cairns
31st Mayor of Burlington, Vermont
In office
June 3, 1957[1] – June 1, 1959
Preceded byJohn Edward Moran
Succeeded byJames E. Fitzpatrick
Personal details
Born(1914-06-01)June 1, 1914
Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 6, 1985(1985-07-06) (aged 71)
Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Resting placeLakeview Cemetery,
Burlington, Vermont
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Frances Mary Nason
MotherMae Lewis
FatherClaude Cairns
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1941-1945
Battles/warsWorld War II

Life

Claude Douglas Cairns was born in Salem, Massachusetts on June 1, 1914 to Mae Lewis and Claude F. Cairns. In 1932 he graduated from the Chauncey Hall Preparatory School and received a degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1936.[2] From 1941 to his honorary discharge in 1945 he served in the United States Navy on board the USS Block Island in the Atlantic.

From 1953 to 1957 Cairns served two terms as on the Burlington Board of Aldermen. On April 27, 1956 he was elected as Chairman of the Burlington Republican City Committee to succeed John B. Harrington.[3] In September he proposed adding the support of lowering the voting age to eighteen to the Vermont Republican Party platform.[4]

On February 18, 1957 he was given the mayoral nomination and on March 5 defeated incumbent Democratic Mayor John Edward Moran with 4,053 votes to 3,830 votes.[5][6] On January 28, 1958 he stated that he would not run for congress, but on April 30 he changed his decision and announced that he would run in the Republican primary for the House of Representatives and went on to lose the primary to former Governor Harold J. Arthur.[7][8] During his tenure as mayor he attempted to have a nuclear reactor built in Burlington and went to the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, but nothing came of it and attempted to add support for a national sales tax to the 1958 Republican national platform.[9][10] On February 2, 1959 he announced that he would not to seek reelection and would instead run for alderman again and easily defeated Arthur J. Lambert with 1,434 votes to 856 votes.[11][12] After leaving the mayoralty he was elected as Chairman of the Chittenden County Republican Party.[13]

In 1964 he ran for one of Chittenden County's five state senate seats, but came in seventh place out ten candidates.[14]

During the 1960 and 1968 he organized the presidential campaigns of Richard Nixon in Vermont. During the 1964 campaign he was an early supporter of Barry Goldwater and served as chairman and member of the Vermont delegation to the national convention in support of Goldwater although the delegates were officially uncommitted.[15][16] He attempted to become the Republican national committeeman for Vermont, but was defeated by incumbent State Senator Edward G. Janeway.[17] He also ran Barry Goldwater's campaign in Vermont in 1964 and served as both his vice chairman of his campaign in Vermont and national campaign's chairman in 1964.[18] Late into the campaign he led an effort to block the Citizens Party from giving its nomination and extra ballot access line to Lyndon B. Johnson.[19]

On July 6, 1985 he died in Burlington, Vermont.

Electoral history
Claude Douglas Cairns electoral history
1957 Burlington Mayoral Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Claude Douglas Cairns 4,053 51.41%
Democratic John Edward Moran 3,830 48.59%
Total votes 7,883 100%
1958 Vermont House of Representatives Republican primary[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Harold J. Arthur 14,460 30.23%
Republican A. Luke Crispe 11,210 23.43%
Republican Claude Douglas Cairns 9,221 19.28%
Republican Harris E. Thurber 9,105 19.03%
Republican Hester O'Neill 2,151 4.50%
Republican George M. Abbott 1,666 3.48%
Republican Other 23 0.05%
Total votes 47,836 100%
1959 Burlington Ward 6 Alderman Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Claude Douglas Cairns 1,434 62.62%
Democratic Arthur J. Lambert 856 37.38%
Total votes 2,290 100%
1964 Chittenden County Vermont State Senate Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John O'Brien 19,438 13.36%
Democratic Charles L. Delaney 18,945 13.02%
Democratic Hector T. Marcoux 18,495 12.71%
Democratic George R. J. McGregor 18,304 12.58%
Democratic John Kelty 18,268 12.56%
Republican Holger C. Petersen 10,962 7.53%
Republican Claude Douglas Cairns 10,754 7.39%
Republican E. Howard Chittenden 10,403 7.15%
Republican C. Reginald Burns 10,008 6.88%
Republican Clinton M. Russell 9,919 6.82%
Total votes 145,496 100%
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References
  1. "Cairns Sworn In, Pledges Program for City's Future". The Burlington Free Press. 4 June 1957. p. 11. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "C. Douglas Cairns Obituary". The Burlington Free Press. 8 July 1985. p. 16. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "GOP City Committee Elect Cairns; Votes Open Meetings". The Burlington Free Press. 28 April 1956. p. 2. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "GOP Urged to Ask Lower Voting Age". The Burlington Free Press. 7 September 1956. p. 13. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "GOP Nominates Cairns for Mayor; County Chairman Calls Move 'Insult'". The Burlington Free Press. 19 February 1957. p. 3. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Votes by Ward For Mayor". The Burlington Free Press. 6 March 1957. p. 11. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Not Now Cairns Won't Run for Congress". The Burlington Free Press. 28 January 1958. p. 9. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Mayor Cairns To Seek Republican Nomination for Representative". The Burlington Free Press. 1 May 1958. p. 1. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Cairns, Stebbins Leave Today For Washington". The Burlington Free Press. 17 June 1958. p. 3. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Federal Sales Tax Proposed By Mayor C. Douglas Cairns". The Burlington Free Press. 25 September 1958. p. 15. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Cairns Quits Mayor's Race To Run for Ward 6 Alderman". The Burlington Free Press. 3 February 1959. p. 9. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Voters Elect Fitzpatrick Mayor; Margin Over Dorn Is 994 Votes". The Burlington Free Press. 4 March 1959. p. 11. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Cairns to Head GOP In Chittenden County". The Burlington Free Press. 27 October 1959. p. 3. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Jack O'Brien Topped County Senate Race". The Burlington Free Press. 14 November 1964. p. 11. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Goldwater Can Win!". The Burlington Free Press. 24 January 1964. p. 15. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Caucuses Put Goldwater's Faction Best". Rutland Daily Herald. 22 April 1964. p. 1. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "12 Vermont Delegates Lean Mostly Toward 'Moderates'". The Burlington Free Press. 13 July 1964. p. 12. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Goldwaterites Want Time In Naming Vt. Party Chief". The Burlington Free Press. 12 November 1964. p. 17. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Republicans Plan To Protest Petitions of Citizen Party". The Burlington Free Press. 19 September 1964. p. 1. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "VT - At-Large - R Primary 1958". 14 February 2012.
Political offices
Preceded by
John Edward Moran		 Mayor of Burlington, Vermont
1957–1959		 Succeeded by
James E. Fitzpatrick
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