Thomas Garry Buckley (September 13, 1922 – May 23, 2012) was an American politician who served as the 74th lieutenant governor of Vermont between 1977 and 1979.

Early life and education

T. Garry Buckley was born in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, on September 13, 1922, the son of Christopher and Margaret Garry Buckley. His father owned several movie theaters in the Albany area and moved to

Bennington Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

in 1937, where he owned and operated the General Stark Theater. Buckley was educated at

The Albany Academy Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school in Albany, New York. It enrolls students from Prekindergaten (age 4) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer and the cit ...

, Bennington's high school, the Cranwell Preparatory School and

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

. He left college to enlist for military service.

Military service

Buckley served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, piloting troop carriers and gliders, and serving as an instructor pilot.

Business career

After the war Buckley resided in Bennington and

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

and was a real estate broker and insurance agent.

Political career

A Republican, Buckley was elected to various local offices, including member of the Bennington County Planning Commission, Old Bennington village trustee, member of the village Highway Commission, and town selectman. Buckley was a member of the board of directors of the Bennington County Industrial Corporation and a trustee of the Bennington Museum. In 1950 Buckley supported state senator Henry Vail's unsuccessful primary campaign to incumbent

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

Lee E. Emerson Lee Earl Emerson (December 19, 1898 – May 21, 1976) was an American politician who served in both the Vermont House of Representatives and the Vermont Senate. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 63rd Lieutenant Governor of Vermont and ...

, and in that election cycle he ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

. He served in 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. ...

from 1955 to 1959, and 1969 to 1975.

Lieutenant Governor of Vermont

Buckley was elected lieutenant governor in 1976. He finished second in the popular vote to John T. Alden: John T. Alden, Democrat: 82,632, 48.4%
T. Garry Buckley, Republican: 81,471, 47.6%
John L. Franco, Liberty Union 6,778, 4.0% Since no candidate received a majority, 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 ...

was empowered to choose a winner. The Republican-controlled assembly chose Buckley. With 90 votes required for election the results were: T. Garry Buckley, 90
John T. Alden, 87
John L. Franco, 1 In other such elections, the assembly has usually voted for the candidate who had the most popular votes. In the Alden-Buckley-Franco election, it later came to light that during the election, Alden, an insurance agent, was being investigated for fraud. This was not known publicly, but some legislators were likely aware, and this probably contributed to Buckley's victory. In 1978 Alden was convicted of diverting his clients' premium payments to his own use. Buckley was defeated in the 1978 Republican primary for reelection by Peter P. Smith. In 1980 he lost a bid for the Republican

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 ...

nomination. He retired and moved from

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 ...

Vero Beach, Florida Vero Beach is a city in and the county seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,354. Nicknamed "The Hibiscus City", Vero is situated about south ...

Death

Buckley died on May 23, 2012, in

Stowe, Vermont Stowe is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 5,223 at the 2020 census. The town lies on Vermont Routes 108 and 100. It is nicknamed "The Ski Capital of the East" and is home to Stowe Mountain Resort, a ski fa ...

, at the age of 89.Stowe Reporter
Former Lieutenant Governor Dies in Stowe, May 31, 2012 He was buried at Old Bennington Cemetery in Bennington.

Family

Buckley married Frances Kingsbury Littlefield in 1945. They were the parents of five children, four sons and one daughter. For many years Buckley and his family resided in the home that had originally been built by

Isaac Tichenor Isaac Tichenor (February 8, 1754December 11, 1838) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the third and fifth governor of Vermont and United States Senator from Vermont. Biography Tichenor was born in Newark in the Province of N ...

in the late 1700s. After the death of his first wife, Buckley was married successively to Barbara Morgan, Patricia Mann, and Hesterley Black.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckley, T. Garry 1922 births 2012 deaths United States Army Air Forces officers Lieutenant governors of Vermont Politicians from Albany, New York Military personnel from Albany, New York Politicians from Bennington, Vermont People from Lamoille County, Vermont United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Republican Party Vermont state senators The Albany Academy alumni 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly