Anne de la Blanchetai Donahue is an American politician from the state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. She has served as a Republican member of the Vermont House of Representatives since 2003, representing the Washington-1 district, which includes the Washington County towns of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and Northfield. Donohue represented Washington-2 until 2013, when she was redistricted. She is also editor of ''Counterpoint'', a quarterly mental health publication distributed for free throughout Vermont.

Education and early career

Anne Donahue was born on March 20, 1956, in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

. She attended the Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1976. Donahue earned a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

in 1978, and received a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree at

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

in 1981. Starting in 1981, Donahue worked as a program director for the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

location of Covenant House, the largest privately funded childcare agency in the United States providing shelter and service to

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

and runaway youths. She served as senior staff attorney for the New York location until 1986 and stayed on as program director until 1988, when she left to become executive director of the Covenant Center location in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Whereas in New York the youths she helped consisted largely of urban poor street youths, the young people she served in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

came originally from middle- and upper-middle-class homes from all around the country, but who had been living in the California streets for as many as three years and become exposed to psychological damage and

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. Donahue served as the California location's executive director until 1990. That year, she received the Jefferson Lifetime Achievement Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Younger. In 1990, Donahue moved to Northfield, Vermont, where her family has roots going back five generations. From 1991 to 1996, Donahue worked as a junior high school teacher in Winooski, Vermont. In 1998, she became editor of ''Counterpoint'', a quarterly mental health publication published by Vermont Psychiatric Survivors, Inc., which is distributed free throughout Vermont and has a circulation of about 7,000. , Donahue continues to serve as editor of the publication. Donahue has served on a number of non-legislative committees, including the Act 129 Parity Committee (2000–2004); the State Standing Committee for Adult Mental Health (2000–2004); the Fletcher Allen Health Care Mental Health Task Force (2001–2004); the State Hospital Futures Committee (2004); and the Corrections Stakeholder Mental Health Committee (2004). She has also served on the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections, and was a member of

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

from 2003 to 2004.

Vermont House

Anne Donahue, a Republican, has been serving as a representative on the Vermont House of Representatives since 2003. She represents the Washington-2 district, which includes the Washington County towns of Moretown, Northfield, and Roxbury. Donahue has been serving on the Mental Health Oversight Committee since 2003, as has been described in the Rutland Herald as "one of the Legislature's strongest mental health advocates". Donahue was also the ranking minority member of the Human Services Committee. On April 2, 2009, Donahue was one of five Vermont House Republicans who voted in favor of a bill allowing same-sex marriages in the state; the bill passed with an overall vote of 95–52. Donahue was instrumental in amending the bill to clarify a distinction between civil and religious marriage. The Log Cabin Republicans, a gay and lesbian political organization, awarded their annual Uncommon Courage Award in April 2009 to Donahue and seven other Vermont Republican lawmakers for their votes in favor of gay marriage.

Personal life

Donahue is a single mother of an adopted adult son. She is

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, and is a member, lector and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at the St. John the Evangelist RC Church in Northfield. Her favorite movies are '' Life is Beautiful'' and ''

Romero The name Romero is a nickname type of surname for an Ancient Roman or a modern day Italian. The name was originally derived from the Latin word Romaeus and the Greek word Romaios, which mean Rome, Roman. #A person on a religious journey or pilgrim ...

'', and her favorite books are '' The Yearling'' by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, '' Little Men'' by Louisa May Alcott and ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a 1960 Southern Gothic novel by American author Harper Lee. It became instantly successful after its release; in the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' ...

'' by

Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926 – February 19, 2016) was an American novelist whose 1960 novel ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and became a classic of modern American literature. She assisted her close friend Truman ...

References

1956 births Catholics from Vermont Living people Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Politicians from Burlington, Vermont People from Northfield, Vermont Women state legislators in Vermont 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Vermont General Assembly {{Vermont-politician-stub