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.

List

As the independent Vermont Republic

#	Portrait	Governor	Took office	Left office	Party	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)	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
					Molly Gray (Democratic)

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 January 2021, there are five living former governors of Vermont. The oldest is 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). He died in office on August 13, 1991.

Governor	Gubernatorial term	Date of birth (and age)
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
Peter Shumlin	2011–2017	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 southeast to northwest for the majority of its length within the state and changed the way residents view how it is divided.[3][4]

References

1. pdf Archived 2016-01-12 at the Wayback Machine
2. Scott's third term will expire on January 2023.
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