List of governors of Vermont

The governor of Vermont is the U.S. state government's chief executive. As of 2015, Vermont is one of only two U.S. states (New Hampshire being the other) that elects governors for two-year terms. Until 1870, Vermont elected its governors for one-year terms.[1] Isaac Tichenor, Jonas Galusha, Erastus Fairbanks, and Richard A. Snelling each served non-consecutive terms, while Thomas Chittenden served non consecutive terms as Governor of the Vermont Republic.

Main article: Governor of Vermont
Elections in Vermont

List

As the independent Vermont Republic
See also: Vermont Republic
# PortraitGovernorTook officeLeft officeParty Lieutenant Governor
1 Thomas Chittenden March 1778 October 1789 No party Joseph Marsh

(1778–1779)

 No party
Benjamin Carpenter

(1779–1781)

 No party
Elisha Payne

(1781–1782)

 No party
Paul Spooner

(1782–1787)

 No party
Joseph Marsh

(1787–1790)

 No party
2 Moses Robinson October 1789 October 1790 No party
3 Thomas Chittenden October 1790 October 1791 No party Peter Olcott

(1790–1794)

 No party

As a U.S. state
Political party

  Democratic (6)   Democratic-Republican (6)   Federalist (3)   No party (1)   National Republican (2)   Republican (54)   Whig (8)

# Portrait Governor Took office Left office Lieutenant Governor Party Side of the Green Mountains
1 Thomas Chittenden October 1790 August 25, 1797 Jonathan Hunt Independent West
Paul Brigham
2 Paul Brigham August 25, 1797 October 16, 1797 Democratic-Republican East
3 Isaac Tichenor October 16, 1797 October 9, 1807 Federalist West
4 Israel Smith October 9, 1807 October 14, 1808 Democratic-Republican West
5 Isaac Tichenor October 14, 1808 October 14, 1809 Federalist West
6 Jonas Galusha October 14, 1809 October 23, 1813 Democratic-Republican West
7 Martin Chittenden October 23, 1813 October 14, 1815 William Chamberlain Federalist West
8 Jonas Galusha October 14, 1815 October 23, 1820 Paul Brigham Democratic-Republican West
9 Richard Skinner October 23, 1820 October 10, 1823 William Cahoon Democratic-Republican West
Aaron Leland
10 Cornelius P. Van Ness October 10, 1823 October 13, 1826 Democratic-Republican West
11 Ezra Butler October 13, 1826 October 10, 1828 National Republican East
Henry Olin
12 Samuel C. Crafts October 10, 1828 October 18, 1831 Mark Richards National Republican East
13 William A. Palmer October 18, 1831 November 2, 1835 Lebbeus Egerton Anti-Masonic East
Silas H. Jennison (Whig)
14 Silas H. Jennison November 2, 1835 October 15, 1841 vacant Whig West
David M. Camp
15 Charles Paine October 15, 1841 October 13, 1843 Waitstill R. Ranney Whig East
16 John Mattocks October 13, 1843 October 11, 1844 Horace Eaton Whig East
17 William Slade October 11, 1844 October 9, 1846 Whig West
18 Horace Eaton October 9, 1846 October 1848 Leonard Sargeant Whig East
19 Carlos Coolidge October 1848 October 11, 1850 Robert Pierpoint Whig East
20 Charles K. Williams October 11, 1850 October 1852 Julius Converse Whig West
21 Erastus Fairbanks October 1852 October 27, 1853 William C. Kittredge Whig East
22 John S. Robinson October 27, 1853 October 13, 1854 Jefferson P. Kidder Democratic West
23 Stephen Royce October 13, 1854 October 10, 1856 Ryland Fletcher Whig (1st term) West
Republican (2nd term)
24 Ryland Fletcher October 10, 1856 October 10, 1858 James M. Slade Republican East
25 Hiland Hall October 10, 1858 October 12, 1860 Burnham Martin Republican West
26 Erastus Fairbanks October 12, 1860 October 11, 1861 Levi Underwood Republican East
27 Frederick Holbrook October 11, 1861 October 9, 1863 Republican East
Paul Dillingham
28 J. Gregory Smith October 9, 1863 October 13, 1865 Republican West
29 Paul Dillingham October 13, 1865 October 13, 1867 Abraham B. Gardner Republican East
30 John B. Page October 13, 1867 October 15, 1869 Stephen Thomas Republican West
31 Peter T. Washburn October 15, 1869 February 7, 1870 George W. Hendee Republican East
32 George W. Hendee February 7, 1870 October 6, 1870 George N. Dale Republican West
33 John W. Stewart October 6, 1870 October 3, 1872 Republican West
34 Julius Converse October 3, 1872 October 8, 1874 Russell S. Taft Republican East
35 Asahel Peck October 8, 1874 October 5, 1876 Lyman G. Hinckley Republican West
36 Horace Fairbanks October 5, 1876 October 3, 1878 Redfield Proctor Republican East
37 Redfield Proctor October 3, 1878 October 7, 1880 Eben Pomeroy Colton Republican West
38 Roswell Farnham October 7, 1880 October 5, 1882 John L. Barstow Republican East
39 John L. Barstow October 5, 1882 October 2, 1884 Samuel E. Pingree Republican West
40 Samuel E. Pingree October 2, 1884 October 7, 1886 Ebenezer J. Ormsbee Republican East
41 Ebenezer J. Ormsbee October 7, 1886 October 4, 1888 Levi K. Fuller Republican West
42 William P. Dillingham October 4, 1888 October 2, 1890 Urban A. Woodbury Republican East
43 Carroll S. Page October 2, 1890 October 6, 1892 Henry A. Fletcher Republican West
44 Levi K. Fuller October 6, 1892 October 4, 1894 F. Stewart Stranahan Republican East
45 Urban A. Woodbury October 4, 1894 October 8, 1896 Zophar M. Mansur Republican West
46 Josiah Grout October 8, 1896 October 6, 1898 Nelson W. Fisk Republican East
47 Edward C. Smith October 6, 1898 October 4, 1900 Henry C. Bates Republican West
48 William W. Stickney October 4, 1900 October 3, 1902 Martin F. Allen Republican East
49 John G. McCullough October 3, 1902 October 6, 1904 Zed S. Stanton Republican West
50 Charles J. Bell October 6, 1904 October 4, 1906 Charles H. Stearns Republican East
51 Fletcher D. Proctor October 4, 1906 October 8, 1908 George H. Prouty Republican West
52 George H. Prouty October 8, 1908 October 5, 1910 John A. Mead Republican East
53 John A. Mead October 5, 1910 October 3, 1912 Leighton P. Slack Republican West
54 Allen M. Fletcher October 3, 1912 January 7, 1915 Frank E. Howe Republican East
55 Charles W. Gates January 7, 1915 January 4, 1917 Hale K. Darling Republican West
56 Horace F. Graham January 4, 1917 January 9, 1919 Roger W. Hulburd Republican East
57 Percival W. Clement January 9, 1919 January 6, 1921 Mason S. Stone Republican West
58 James Hartness January 6, 1921 January 4, 1923 Abram W. Foote Republican East
59 Redfield Proctor Jr. January 4, 1923 January 8, 1925 Franklin S. Billings Republican West
60 Franklin S. Billings January 8, 1925 January 6, 1927 Walter K. Farnsworth Republican East
61 John E. Weeks January 6, 1927 January 8, 1931 Hollister Jackson
Stanley C. Wilson		 Republican West
62 Stanley C. Wilson January 8, 1931 January 10, 1935 Benjamin Williams
Charles Manley Smith		 Republican East
63 Charles M. Smith January 10, 1935 January 7, 1937 George D. Aiken Republican West
64 George David Aiken January 7, 1937 January 9, 1941 William H. Wills Republican East
65 William H. Wills January 9, 1941 January 4, 1945 Mortimer R. Proctor Republican West
66 Mortimer R. Proctor January 4, 1945 January 9, 1947 Lee E. Emerson Republican West
67 Ernest W. Gibson Jr. January 9, 1947 January 16, 1950 Republican East
Harold J. Arthur
68 Harold J. Arthur January 16, 1950 January 4, 1951 vacant Republican West
69 Lee E. Emerson January 4, 1951 January 6, 1955 Joseph B. Johnson Republican East
70 Joseph B. Johnson January 6, 1955 January 8, 1959 Consuelo N. Bailey
Robert T. Stafford		 Republican East
71 Robert T. Stafford January 8, 1959 January 5, 1961 Robert S. Babcock Republican West
72 F. Ray Keyser Jr. January 5, 1961 January 10, 1963 Ralph A. Foote (Republican) Republican East
73 Philip H. Hoff January 10, 1963 January 9, 1969 Democratic West
John J. Daley (Democratic)
74 Deane C. Davis January 9, 1969 January 4, 1973 John S. Burgess (Republican) Republican
East
75 Thomas P. Salmon January 4, 1973 January 6, 1977 Brian D. Burns (Democratic) Democratic
East
76 Richard A. Snelling January 6, 1977 January 10, 1985 T. Garry Buckley (Republican) Republican West
Madeleine Kunin (Democratic)
Peter P. Smith (Republican)
77 Madeleine Kunin January 10, 1985 January 10, 1991 Democratic West
Howard Dean (Democratic)
78 Richard A. Snelling January 10, 1991 August 13, 1991 Republican West
79 Howard Dean August 13, 1991 January 9, 2003 vacant Democratic West
Barbara W. Snelling (Republican)
Douglas Racine (Democratic)
80 Jim Douglas January 9, 2003 January 6, 2011 Brian Dubie Republican West
81 Peter Shumlin January 6, 2011 January 5, 2017 Phil Scott (Republican) Democratic East
82 Phil Scott January 5, 2017 Incumbent[2] David Zuckerman (Progressive/Democratic) Republican East

Other high offices held

This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Vermont except where noted.* denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

Governor Gubernatorial term U.S. Congress Other offices held
House Senate
Moses Robinson 1789–1790 (Vt. Republic) S
Isaac Tichenor 1797–1807
1808–1809		 S
Israel Smith 1807–1808 H S
Richard Skinner 1820–1823 H
Cornelius P. Van Ness 1823–1826 United States Minister to Spain, Collector of the Port of New York
Ezra Butler 1826–1828 H
Samuel C. Crafts 1828–1831 H S
William A. Palmer 1831–1835 S
John Mattocks 1843–1844 H
William Slade 1844–1846 H
Hiland Hall 1858–1860 H
Paul Dillingham 1865–1867 H
George W. Hendee 1870 H
John W. Stewart 1870–1872 H S
Redfield Proctor 1878–1880 S United States Secretary of War
William P. Dillingham 1888–1890 S
Carroll S. Page 1890–1892 S
John E. Weeks 1927–1931 H
George Aiken 1937–1941 S
William H. Wills 1941–1945 Member, Federal Communications Commission
Ernest W. Gibson Jr. 1947–1950 S Judge, United States District Court for the District of Vermont
Robert Stafford 1959–1961 H S
Madeleine M. Kunin 1985–1991 United States Deputy Secretary of Education; United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein

Living former governors of Vermont

As of April 2018, there are five former governors of Vermont who are currently living at this time, the oldest governor of Vermont being Thomas P. Salmon (served 1973–1977, born 1932). The most recent governor of Vermont to die was Philip H. Hoff (served 1963–1969, born 1924), in April 2018. The most recently serving governor of Vermont to die was Richard A. Snelling (served 1977–1985 and 1991, born 1927), in office on August 13, 1991.

GovernorGubernatorial termDate of birth (and age)
Thomas P. Salmon 1973–1977 (1932-08-19) August 19, 1932
Madeleine M. Kunin 1985–1991 (1933-09-28) September 28, 1933
Howard Dean 1991–2003 (1948-11-17) November 17, 1948
Jim Douglas 2003–2011 (1951-06-21) June 21, 1951
Peter Shumlin 2011–2017 (1956-03-24) March 24, 1956

Mountain Rule

From the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s until the 1960s, only Republicans won general elections for Vermont's statewide offices. One method that made this possible was imposition of the "Mountain Rule." Under the provisions of the Mountain Rule, one U.S. Senator was a resident of the east side of the Green Mountains and one resided on the west side, and the governorship and lieutenant governorship alternated between residents of the east and west side. Nominees for Governor and Lieutenant Governor were allowed two one-year terms and, later, one two-year term. For nearly 100 years, likely Republican candidates for office in Vermont agreed to abide by the Mountain Rule in the interests of party unity. Several factors led to the eventual weakening of the Mountain Rule, including: the long time political dispute between the Proctor (conservative) and Aiken–Gibson (liberal) wings of the party; primaries rather than conventions to select nominees; the direct election of U.S. Senators; and several active third parties, including the Progressives, the Prohibition Party, and the Local Option movement. In the 1960s, the rise of the Vermont Democratic Party and the construction of Interstate 89 also contributed to the end of the Mountain Rule. Though I-89 is a north-south route, it traverses Vermont from east to west and changed the way Vermonters viewed how the state was divided.[3][4]

References
  1. pdf Archived 2016-01-12 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Scott's second term began January 10, 2019, and will expire January 2021
  3. Newspaper article, The Mountain Rule in Vermont, New York Times, February 12, 1895
  4. Magazine article, Mountain Rule Revisited, by Samuel B. Hand, Vermont History Magazine, published by Vermont Historical Society, Summer/Fall 2003, pages 139 to 151
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.