List of Governors of Vermont

The Governor of Vermont is the state government's chief executive. As of 2011, Vermont is one of only two states (the other is New Hampshire) which elect Governors for two year terms.

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 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 view how the state is divided.

List

This is a List of Governors of Vermont:

As the independent Vermont Republic

#	Name	Party	Term
1	Thomas Chittenden	No party affiliation	1778–1789
2	Moses Robinson	No party affiliation	1789–1790
3	Thomas Chittenden	No party affiliation	1790–1791

As a U.S. state

#	Name	Party	Term	Notes
1	Thomas Chittenden	No party affiliation	March 4, 1791 – August 25, 1797
2	Paul Brigham	Democratic-Republican	August 25, 1797 – October 16, 1797
3	Isaac Tichenor	Federalist	October 16, 1797 – October 9, 1807
4	Israel Smith	Democratic-Republican	October 9, 1807 – October 14, 1808
5	Isaac Tichenor	Federalist	October 14, 1808 – October 14, 1809
6	Jonas Galusha	Democratic-Republican	October 14, 1809 – October 23, 1813
7	Martin Chittenden	Federalist	October 23, 1813 – October 14, 1815
8	Jonas Galusha	Democratic-Republican	October 14, 1815 – October 23, 1820
9	Richard Skinner	Democratic-Republican	October 23, 1820 – October 10, 1823
10	Cornelius P. Van Ness	Democratic-Republican	October 10, 1823 – October 13, 1826
11	Ezra Butler	National Republican	October 13, 1826 – October 10, 1828
12	Samuel C. Crafts	National Republican	October 10, 1828 – October 18, 1831
13	William A. Palmer	Anti-Masonic	October 18, 1831 – November 2, 1835
14	Silas H. Jennison	Whig	November 2, 1835 – October 15, 1841
15	Charles Paine	Whig	October 15, 1841 – October 13, 1843
16	John Mattocks	Whig	October 13, 1843 – October 11, 1844
17	William Slade	Whig	October 11, 1844 – October 9, 1846
18	Horace Eaton	Whig	October 9, 1846 – October 1848
19	Carlos Coolidge	Whig	October 1848 – October 11, 1850
20	Charles K. Williams	Whig	October 11, 1850 – October 1852
21	Erastus Fairbanks	Whig	October 1852 – October 1853
22	John S. Robinson	Democratic	October 1853 – October 13, 1854
23	Stephen Royce	Republican	October 13, 1854 – October 10, 1856
24	Ryland Fletcher	Republican	October 10, 1856 – October 10, 1858
25	Hiland Hall	Republican	October 10, 1858 – October 12, 1860
26	Erastus Fairbanks	Republican	October 12, 1860 – October 11, 1861
27	Frederick Holbrook	Republican	October 11, 1861 – October 9, 1863
28	J. Gregory Smith	Republican	October 9, 1863 – October 13, 1865
29	Paul Dillingham	Republican	October 13, 1865 – October 13, 1867
30	John B. Page	Republican	October 13, 1867 – October 15, 1869
31	Peter T. Washburn	Republican	October 15, 1869 – February 7, 1870
32	George W. Hendee	Republican	February 7, 1870 – October 6, 1870
33	John W. Stewart	Republican	October 6, 1870 – October 3, 1872
34	Julius Converse	Republican	October 3, 1872 – October 8, 1874
35	Asahel Peck	Republican	October 8, 1874 – October 5, 1876
36	Horace Fairbanks	Republican	October 5, 1876 – October 3, 1878
37	Redfield Proctor	Republican	October 3, 1878 – October 7, 1880
38	Roswell Farnham	Republican	October 7, 1880 – October 5, 1882
39	John L. Barstow	Republican	October 5, 1882 – October 2, 1884
40	Samuel E. Pingree	Republican	October 2, 1884 – October 7, 1886
41	Ebenezer J. Ormsbee	Republican	October 7, 1886 – October 4, 1888
42	William P. Dillingham	Republican	October 4, 1888 – October 2, 1890
43	Carroll S. Page	Republican	October 2, 1890 – October 6, 1892
44	Levi K. Fuller	Republican	October 6, 1892 – October 4, 1894
45	Urban A. Woodbury	Republican	October 4, 1894 – October 8, 1896
46	Josiah Grout	Republican	October 8, 1896 – October 6, 1898
47	Edward C. Smith	Republican	October 6, 1898 – October 4, 1900
48	William W. Stickney	Republican	October 4, 1900 – October 3, 1902
49	John G. McCullough	Republican	October 3, 1902 – October 6, 1904
50	Charles J. Bell	Republican	October 6, 1904 – October 4, 1906
51	Fletcher D. Proctor	Republican	October 4, 1906 – October 8, 1908
52	George H. Prouty	Republican	October 8, 1908 – October 5, 1910
53	John A. Mead	Republican	October 5, 1910 – October 3, 1912
54	Allen M. Fletcher	Republican	October 3, 1912 – January 7, 1915
55	Charles W. Gates	Republican	January 7, 1915 – January 4, 1917
56	Horace F. Graham	Republican	January 4, 1917 – January 9, 1919
57	Percival W. Clement	Republican	January 9, 1919 – January 6, 1921
58	James Hartness	Republican	January 6, 1921 – January 4, 1923
59	Redfield Proctor, Jr.	Republican	January 4, 1923 – January 8, 1925
60	Franklin S. Billings	Republican	January 8, 1925 – January 6, 1927
61	John E. Weeks	Republican	January 6, 1927 – January 8, 1931
62	Stanley C. Wilson	Republican	January 8, 1931 – January 10, 1935
63	Charles M. Smith	Republican	January 10, 1935 – January 7, 1937
64	George David Aiken	Republican	January 7, 1937 – January 9, 1941
65	William H. Wills	Republican	January 9, 1941 – January 4, 1945
66	Mortimer R. Proctor	Republican	January 4, 1945 – January 9, 1947
67	Ernest W. Gibson, Jr.	Republican	January 9, 1947 – January 16, 1950
68	Harold J. Arthur	Republican	January 16, 1950 – January 4, 1951
69	Lee E. Emerson	Republican	January 4, 1951 – January 6, 1955
70	Joseph B. Johnson	Republican	January 6, 1955 – January 8, 1959
71	Robert T. Stafford	Republican	January 8, 1959 – January 5, 1961
72	F. Ray Keyser, Jr.	Republican	January 5, 1961 – January 10, 1963
73	Philip H. Hoff	Democratic	January 10, 1963 – January 9, 1969
74	Deane C. Davis	Republican	January 9, 1969 – January 4, 1973
75	Thomas P. Salmon	Democratic	January 4, 1973 – January 6, 1977
76	Richard A. Snelling	Republican	January 6, 1977 – January 10, 1985
77	Madeleine M. Kunin	Democratic	January 10, 1985 – January 10, 1991
78	Richard A. Snelling	Republican	January 10, 1991 – August 14, 1991
79	Howard Dean	Democratic	August 14, 1991 – January 9, 2003
80	Jim Douglas	Republican	January 9, 2003 – January 6, 2011
81	Peter Shumlin	Democratic	January 6, 2011 -

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.

Name	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

As of January 2011, six former governors were alive, the oldest being Philip H. Hoff (1963–1969, born 1924). The most recent governor to die was Robert T. Stafford (1959–1961), on December 23, 2006. The most recently-serving governor to die was Richard A. Snelling (1977–1985, 1991), in office on August 13, 1991.

Name	Gubernatorial term	Date of birth
F. Ray Keyser, Jr.	1961–1963	August 17, 1927 (1927-08-17)
Philip H. Hoff	1963–1969	June 29, 1924 (1924-06-29)
Thomas P. Salmon	1973–1977	August 19, 1932 (1932-08-19)
Madeleine M. Kunin	1985–1991	September 28, 1933 (1933-09-28)
Howard Dean	1991–2003	November 17, 1948 (1948-11-17)
Jim Douglas	2003–2011	June 21, 1951 (1951-06-21)