Barbara Tuttle Snelling (; March 22, 1928November 2, 2015) was an American politician who served as the
78th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1993 to 1997. She suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 1996 while campaigning for governor. She was elected to the
Vermont State Senate
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator represents at least 20,300 citizens. ...
in 1998, where she served until she suffered a second stroke; she resigned in 2002.
Life and career
Snelling was born Barbara Tuttle Weil in 1928 in
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, tenth-largest city in the state, and the second- ...
, the daughter of Hazel (née Russell) and The Reverend F. Taylor Weil. She attended
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
for two years before transferring to
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...
, from which she received her
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree ''
Magna Cum Laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'' in 1950.
She served as chair of the Shelburne School Board; as Founding Chair of Champlain Valley Union High School Board. She was member of the
State Board of Education; President of the Vermont State School Boards Association; Vermont Commission on Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation; Chair of the
Chittenden County United Way.
She was a founding trustee of the Vermont Community Foundation; a trustee of
Champlain College
Champlain College is a private college in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1878, Champlain offers on-campus undergraduate and online undergraduate courses through Champlain College Online, along with online certificate and degree ...
and
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...
. She was a trustee of the
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art, design, and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the museum grounds. It is located ...
.
She was Vice President of the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...
and later was President of Snelling and Kolb, a national fundraising consulting firm focused of development work for educational institutions.
On June 14, 1947, at age 19, she married 20-year-old
Richard A. Snelling
Richard Arkwright Snelling (February 18, 1927August 13, 1991) was an American businessman, politician, and the 76th and 78th governor of Vermont from 1977 to 1985 and from January 10, 1991, until his death.
A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, ...
, who would later served four full terms as governor of Vermont and died in office during his fifth term on August 13, 1991. Their children included Jacqueline, Mark, Andrew, and
Diane, who was appointed to Snelling's seat in the State Senate.
Snelling died at her home in
South Burlington, Vermont
South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292, making it the sec ...
on November 2, 2015.
See also
*
List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
As of February 17, 2025, there are 22 women currently serving (excluding acting capacity) as lieutenant governors in the United States. Overall, 127 women have served (including acting capacity).
Women have been elected lieutenant governor in 40 ...
Notes
Lieutenant governors of Vermont
Republican Party Vermont state senators
First ladies and gentlemen of Vermont
Radcliffe College alumni
School board members in Vermont
Women state legislators in Vermont
Politicians from Fall River, Massachusetts
People from Shelburne, Vermont
1928 births
2015 deaths
Snelling family
21st-century members of the Vermont General Assembly
21st-century American women politicians
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