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James Holley Douglas (born June 21, 1951) is an American politician from the
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
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 ...
. A Republican, he served as the 80th governor of Vermont from 2003 to 2011. On August 27, 2009, Douglas announced that he would not seek re-election for a fifth term in 2010. He left the office in January 2011. On January 6, 2011, Douglas became an executive in residence at
Middlebury College Middlebury College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists, Middlebury w ...
where he taught a 24 student course titled ''Vermont Government and Politics''. Douglas is the interim director of the
Vermont Historical Society The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) was founded in 1838 to preserve and record the cultural history of the US state of Vermont. Headquartered in the old Spaulding School Building in Barre, the Vermont History Center is home to the Vermont H ...
. Douglas currently serves on the Governors' Council of the
Bipartisan Policy Center The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that promotes bipartisanship. The organization aims to combine ideas from both the Republican and Democratic parties to address U.S. policy challenges. History BPC w ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...


Early career

Douglas was born in the city of
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
. In 1968, he graduated from
East Longmeadow High School East Longmeadow High School is a public high school located in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, United States. It is the only secondary school (high school) in the East Longmeadow School District. It enrolls 833 students. On November 7, 2023, th ...
in the town of
East Longmeadow, Massachusetts East Longmeadow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, situated in the Pioneer Valley region of Western Massachusetts. It had a population of 16,430 at the 2020 census. East Longmeadow is southeast of downtown Springfiel ...
. He graduated with a
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 from
Middlebury College Middlebury College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists, Middlebury w ...
in Middlebury, Vermont, where he had been active in the
College Republicans College Republicans is an umbrella term that describes college and university students who support the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. The College Republican National Committee (CRNC) is the oldest campus- ...
, eventually becoming chairman. At Middlebury College, Douglas was a
Russian studies Russian studies is an interdisciplinary field crossing politics of Russia, politics, history of Russia, history, Culture of Russia, culture, economy of Russia, economics, and languages of Russia, languages of Russia and its neighborhood, often gr ...
major. Vermont maintained a sister-state relationship with the
Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
of
Karelia Karelia (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; , historically Коре́ла, ''Korela'' []; ) is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia (including the Soviet Union, Soviet era), Finland, and Sweden. It is currentl ...
, Russia until it was broken by Governor Phil Scott in March 2022 as protest against the ongoing
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. While influenced by Douglas, this relationship was started in 1991 under the governorship of
Madeleine Kunin Madeleine Kunin (née May; born September 28, 1933) is a Swiss-born American diplomat, author and politician. She served as the 77th governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991, as a member of the Democratic Party. She also served as United Stat ...
. In November 1972, Douglas was elected to the
Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...
, where he became the House Majority Leader during his third two-year term at the age of 25. He left the
Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly", but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...
in 1979, afterwards serving as a top aide to Governor
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, ...
. Douglas was elected Secretary of State in November 1980, a post which he held until 1992. That year he sought election to the
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
, but was defeated by Democratic incumbent
Patrick Leahy Patrick Joseph Leahy ( ; born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who represented Vermont in the United States Senate from 1975 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he also was the pr ...
.


Vermont State Treasurer

During his tenure as
Vermont State Treasurer The State Treasurer's Office is responsible for several administrative and service duties, in accordance with Vermont Statutes. These include: investing state funds; issuing state bonds; serving as the central bank for state agencies; managing th ...
, Democrat Paul W. Ruse Jr. was criticized for being too friendly with financial services firms that had an interest in matters handled by the state treasurer, including accepting campaign contributions from them, and appearing in an advertisement for one. Because of the controversy, in 1994 Ruse decided not to run for reelection. This decision was not widely known; Ruse stated that he withheld his decision not to run so that Ed Flanagan, the incumbent
Vermont State Auditor The auditor of accounts of Vermont, informally referred to as "the state auditor", is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of Government of Vermont, government of the U.S. state of Vermont. Twenty-nine individuals have occupied the off ...
, would not run for treasurer. Flanagan and Ruse had been involved in a behind the scenes dispute over details of an auditor's report about the treasurer's office; Flanagan disclaimed any interest in the treasurer's post. As a result of Ruse's decision not to run again, only Douglas had filed as a major party candidate for treasurer; in the absence of a Democratic candidate, Douglas won the Democratic nomination by write-in vote. In the general election, Douglas faced only token opposition, and received over 91% of the votes. Ruse's deputy had retired in October 1994. After Douglas won the treasurer's election, Ruse offered him the deputy's position so that Douglas would have an opportunity to learn the workings of the treasurer's office. Douglas accepted, and served as deputy state treasurer from November 1994 until beginning his term as treasurer in January 1995. Douglas was reelected in 1996, 1998 and 2000.


Governor of Vermont

In the 2002 gubernatorial election to succeed five-term Governor
Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, consultant, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 20 ...
, Douglas achieved a plurality over Democratic Lieutenant Governor
Doug Racine Douglas Alan Racine (born October 7, 1952) is an American politician and former Vermont Secretary of Human Services, a former Vermont State Senator and was the 79th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1997 to 2003. He is a Democrat. Racine was ...
, 45 to 42%. The Vermont constitution requires that the legislature select the governor if no candidate receives over 50%. The
Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly", but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...
almost always chooses the candidate who won a plurality, and Racine did not contest the results. In January 2003, the legislature selected Douglas by a vote of 159 to 16. Douglas won reelection to a second 2-year term in 2004, defeating Democrat
Peter Clavelle Peter A. Clavelle (born May 10, 1949) is an American politician who served as the 38th and 40th List of mayors of Burlington, Vermont, mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and was the first member of a Third party (United States), third party to hold t ...
, 59 to 38%. In early 2005, Douglas announced that he would not run against Democratic-leaning independent
Jim Jeffords James Merrill "Jim" Jeffords (May 11, 1934 – August 18, 2014) was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont who served as a member of the Vermont Senate from 1967 to 1969, Attorney General of Vermont from 1969 to 1973, and later serve ...
in the 2006 Senate race. In April 2005, Jeffords announced that he would not seek re-election, which led to speculation that Douglas would throw his hat into the ring against Vermont independent Congressman
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
, who had announced his candidacy for the seat. On April 30, Douglas announced again that he would not seek Jeffords' seat, and simultaneously announced that he would run for re-election for governor in 2006. Many pundits believed that Douglas was the only Republican who could possibly defeat Sanders, and his decision to run for governor effectively handed the open Senate seat to Sanders. Douglas was re-elected governor with 57% of the vote over Democrat Scudder Parker. On May 22, 2007, Governor Douglas signed a landmark civil rights bill banning
discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...
on the basis of
gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...
by employers, financial institutions, housing, public accommodations, and other contexts. After the Vermont Human Rights Commission recommended that Governor Douglas veto a similar bill in 2006, Douglas worked with legislators to craft a new bill in 2007. This bill passed both chambers of the legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support. Douglas decided to stand for re-election in 2008 and ran unopposed in the Republican primary on September 9, 2008. His principal challengers in the general election were Independent/ Progressive
Anthony Pollina Anthony Pollina (born February 17, 1952) is an American politician who has served as Chair of the Vermont Progressive Party since 2017, and was a member of the Vermont Senate from 2011 to 2023. Biography Anthony Pollina was born in Ridgewood, N ...
, and Democrat
Gaye Symington Gaye R. Symington (born April 20, 1954) is an American politician who is the former Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives, the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly. She was the 2008 Democratic nominee for the 2008 Vermont gubern ...
. Douglas won a fourth term with nearly 54% of the vote. Although that was his lowest percentage since his initial narrow victory over Doug Racine, he bested his closest challenge, Pollina, by 32%. Douglas became the first governor to meet with President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
in the White House on February 2, 2009. He also served as Chairman of the
National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American Politics of the United States, political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 U.S. state, states, Territories of the United States, territories ...
from 2009 to 2010. On April 6, 2009, Douglas vetoed a bill allowing marriage for same-sex couples in Vermont. Democrats in the Vermont
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
and
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
overrode the veto with a
supermajority A supermajority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority rules in a democracy can help to prevent a majority from eroding fun ...
the next day, marking the first time Douglas had been overridden during his tenure. On June 2, 2009, Democrats in the Vermont House and Senate voted to override Douglas's veto of the Vermont state budget. On August 27, 2009, Douglas announced that he would not seek re-election in 2010. In early 2010, Douglas became the first American political leader to be appointed to the
National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...
("L'Ordre National du Quebec" in
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
), receiving the insignia of an Officer of the order from
Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
Jean Charest John James "Jean" Charest (; born June 24, 1958) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29th premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012. Prior to that, he was a member of Parliament (MP) between 1984 and 1998. After holding se ...
at a ceremony at the
National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (, ) is the Legislature, legislative body of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; ). The lieutenant governor of Que ...
. He was recognized for strengthening Vermont's historical bonds with Quebec and making improved relations with the province a priority of his governorship. On June 17, 2010, his approval rating stood at 65%.


Cabinet and administration


Post-gubernatorial career

Douglas was succeeded as Governor by Democrat
Peter Shumlin Peter Elliott Shumlin (born March 24, 1956) is an American politician from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 81st governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017. He was first elected to the office in 2010, and was reelected to ...
. After leaving office Douglas became an Executive in Residence at Middlebury College and authored a memoir, which was published in late 2012. On July 29, 2015, Douglas was named the interim director of the
Vermont Historical Society The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) was founded in 1838 to preserve and record the cultural history of the US state of Vermont. Headquartered in the old Spaulding School Building in Barre, the Vermont History Center is home to the Vermont H ...
.Former Gov. Douglas interim director of historical society, WCAX, Jul. 29, 201


Electoral history


Notes


External links


Vermont Governor Jim Douglas
''official state website'' * , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Jim 1951 births Bipartisan Policy Center College Republicans Governors of Vermont Living people Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Middlebury College alumni Middlebury College faculty Officers of the National Order of Quebec Politicians from Springfield, Massachusetts Republican Party governors of Vermont Secretaries of state of Vermont State treasurers of Vermont United Church of Christ members Vermont Republicans Writers from Springfield, Massachusetts 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly