Jay H. Gordon (October 10, 1930 – December 4, 2007) was a

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 ...

Democratic politician who served as Auditor of Accounts from 1965 until 1969.Jay H. Gordon (Obituary)
; '' The Barre Montpelier Times Argus'', December 11, 2007

Biography

Jay Herman Gordon was born in

Bellows Falls, Vermont Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; th ...

on October 10, 1930, the son of Harry Gordon and Annie (Mandell) Gordon. He attended the Dean Academy in Massachusetts and graduated from 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 ...

(UVM) in 1953. While at UVM, Gordon took part in the

Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps The Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA ...

. At graduation, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He served at

Langley Air Force Base Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1 ...

and

Westover Air Force Base Westover may refer to: People *Al Westover (born 1954), American professional basketball player in Australia *Arthur Westover (1864–1935), Canadian sport shooter and 1908 Olympian *Charles Westover (1934–1990), better known as Del Shannon, Amer ...

during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, and was discharged as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in 1955. After his discharge, Gordon continued to serve in the

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

. Gordon earned his master's degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 1959. While studying for his graduate degree, Gordon worked as an auditor at Peat, Marwick Mitchell and Company. He was later a partner with Bliss, Lawlor and Company from 1959 to 1965. In 1964, he married Joan Carolyn Plumpton. They had two sons. Gordon served as Vermont's Auditor from 1965 until 1969. Following his service as state auditor, Gordon served as a partner with the Jay H. Gordon accounting firm from 1970 until 1987. In 1987, he joined Smith, Batchelder and Rugg. In 1990, he became a professor of accounting at

Norwich University Norwich University is a private university in Northfield, Vermont, United States. The university was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy". It is the oldest of six senior military college, senior militar ...

until his retirement in 2001. Gordon and his wife died on December 4, 2007, after a fire engulfed their home in Montpelier. The official cause of death was

smoke inhalation Smoke inhalation is the breathing in of harmful fumes (produced as by-products of combusting substances) through the respiratory tract. This can cause smoke inhalation injury (a kind of acute inhalation injury) which is damage to the respirator ...

.Cause of death released in fatal Montpelier fire
'' The Barre Montpelier Times Argus'', December 14, 2007

References

1930 births 2007 deaths State auditors of Vermont Deaths by smoke inhalation University of Vermont alumni New York University alumni People from Bellows Falls, Vermont Military personnel from Vermont Vermont Democrats Accidental deaths in Vermont 20th-century Vermont politicians {{Vermont-politician-stub