List of Governors of Vermont

The Governor of Vermont is the state government's chief executive. As of 2015, Vermont is one of only two states (New Hampshire being the other) that elects governors for two-year terms.

Until 1870, Vermont elected its governors for one-year terms.[1]

List

The following is a list of governors of Vermont:

As the independent Vermont Republic

# PictureGovernorTook officeLeft officeParty Lt. governor
1
Thomas Chittenden 1778 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 1789 1790 No party
3
Thomas Chittenden 1790 1791 No party Peter Olcott

(1790–1794)

 No party

As a U.S. state


Parties

  Democratic   Democratic-Republican   Federalist   No party   National Republican   Republican   Whig

# PictureGovernorTook officeLeft officeParty
1
Thomas Chittenden October 1790 August 25, 1797 No party West
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 Federalist West
8
Jonas Galusha October 14, 1815 October 23, 1820 Democratic-Republican West
9
Richard Skinner October 23, 1820 October 10, 1823 Democratic-Republican West
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
12
Samuel C. Crafts October 10, 1828 October 18, 1831 National Republican East
13
William A. Palmer October 18, 1831 November 2, 1835 Anti-Masonic East
14
Silas H. Jennison November 2, 1835 October 15, 1841 Whig West
15
Charles Paine October 15, 1841 October 13, 1843 Whig East
16
John Mattocks October 13, 1843 October 11, 1844 Whig East
17
William Slade October 11, 1844 October 9, 1846 Whig West
18
Horace Eaton October 9, 1846 October 1848 Whig East
19
Carlos Coolidge October 1848 October 11, 1850 Whig East
20
Charles K. Williams October 11, 1850 October 1852 Whig West
21
Erastus Fairbanks October 1852 October 1853 Whig East
22
John S. Robinson October 1853 October 13, 1854 Democratic West
23
Stephen Royce October 13, 1854 October 10, 1856 Whig (1st term) /
Republican (2nd term)		 West
24
Ryland Fletcher October 10, 1856 October 10, 1858 Republican East
25
Hiland Hall October 10, 1858 October 12, 1860 Republican West
26
Erastus Fairbanks October 12, 1860 October 11, 1861 Republican East
27
Frederick Holbrook October 11, 1861 October 9, 1863 Republican East
28
J. Gregory Smith October 9, 1863 October 13, 1865 Republican West
29
Paul Dillingham October 13, 1865 October 13, 1867 Republican East
30
John B. Page October 13, 1867 October 15, 1869 Republican West
31
Peter T. Washburn October 15, 1869 February 7, 1870 Republican East
32
George W. Hendee February 7, 1870 October 6, 1870 Republican West
33
John W. Stewart October 6, 1870 October 3, 1872 Republican West
34
Julius Converse October 3, 1872 October 8, 1874 Republican East
35
Asahel Peck October 8, 1874 October 5, 1876 Republican West
36
Horace Fairbanks October 5, 1876 October 3, 1878 Republican East
37
Redfield Proctor October 3, 1878 October 7, 1880 Republican West
38
Roswell Farnham October 7, 1880 October 5, 1882 Republican East
39
John L. Barstow October 5, 1882 October 2, 1884 Republican West
40
Samuel E. Pingree October 2, 1884 October 7, 1886 Republican East
41
Ebenezer J. Ormsbee October 7, 1886 October 4, 1888 Republican West
42
William P. Dillingham October 4, 1888 October 2, 1890 Republican East
43
Carroll S. Page October 2, 1890 October 6, 1892 Republican West
44
Levi K. Fuller October 6, 1892 October 4, 1894 Republican East
45
Urban A. Woodbury October 4, 1894 October 8, 1896 Republican West
46
Josiah Grout October 8, 1896 October 6, 1898 Republican East
47
Edward C. Smith October 6, 1898 October 4, 1900 Republican West
48
William W. Stickney October 4, 1900 October 3, 1902 Republican East
49
John G. McCullough October 3, 1902 October 6, 1904 Republican West
50
Charles J. Bell October 6, 1904 October 4, 1906 Republican East
51
Fletcher D. Proctor October 4, 1906 October 8, 1908 Republican West
52
George H. Prouty October 8, 1908 October 5, 1910 Republican East
53
John A. Mead October 5, 1910 October 3, 1912 Republican West
54
Allen M. Fletcher October 3, 1912 January 7, 1915 Republican East
55
Charles W. Gates January 7, 1915 January 4, 1917 Republican West
56
Horace F. Graham January 4, 1917 January 9, 1919 Republican East
57
Percival W. Clement January 9, 1919 January 6, 1921 Republican West
58
James Hartness January 6, 1921 January 4, 1923 Republican East
59
Redfield Proctor, Jr. January 4, 1923 January 8, 1925 Republican West
60
Franklin S. Billings January 8, 1925 January 6, 1927 Republican East
61
John E. Weeks January 6, 1927 January 8, 1931 Republican West
62
Stanley C. Wilson January 8, 1931 January 10, 1935 Republican East
63
Charles M. Smith January 10, 1935 January 7, 1937 Republican West
64
George David Aiken January 7, 1937 January 9, 1941 Republican East
65
William H. Wills January 9, 1941 January 4, 1945 Republican West
66
Mortimer R. Proctor January 4, 1945 January 9, 1947 Republican West
67
Ernest W. Gibson, Jr. January 9, 1947 January 16, 1950 Republican East
68
Harold J. Arthur January 16, 1950 January 4, 1951 Republican West
69
Lee E. Emerson January 4, 1951 January 6, 1955 Republican East
70
Joseph B. Johnson January 6, 1955 January 8, 1959 Republican East
71
Robert T. Stafford January 8, 1959 January 5, 1961 Republican West
72
F. Ray Keyser, Jr. January 5, 1961 January 10, 1963 Republican East
73
Philip H. Hoff January 10, 1963 January 9, 1969 Democratic West
74
Deane C. Davis January 9, 1969 January 4, 1973 Republican East
75
Thomas P. Salmon January 4, 1973 January 6, 1977 Democratic East
76
Richard A. Snelling January 6, 1977 January 10, 1985 Republican West
77
Madeleine M. Kunin January 10, 1985 January 10, 1991 Democratic West
78
Richard A. Snelling January 10, 1991 August 13, 1991 Republican West
79
Howard Dean August 13, 1991 January 9, 2003 Democratic West
80
Jim Douglas January 9, 2003 January 6, 2011 Republican West
81
Peter Shumlin January 6, 2011 Incumbent Democratic 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 May 2015, there are five former governors of Vermont who are currently living at this time, the oldest governor of Vermont being Philip H. Hoff (served 1963–1969, born 1924). The most recent governor of Vermont to die was F. Ray Keyser, Jr. (served 1961–1963, born 1927), on March 7, 2015. 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)
Philip H. Hoff 1963–1969 June 29, 1924
Thomas P. Salmon 1973–1977 August 19, 1932
Madeleine M. Kunin 1985–1991 September 28, 1933
Howard Dean 1991–2003 November 17, 1948
Jim Douglas 2003–2011 June 21, 1951

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.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ pdf
  2. ↑ Newspaper article, The Mountain Rule in Vermont, New York Times, February 12, 1895
  3. ↑ Magazine article, Mountain Rule Revisited, by Samuel B. Hand, Vermont History Magazine, published by Vermont Historical Society, Summer/Fall 2003, pages 139 to 151
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