Thomas P. Salmon
Thomas Salmon | |
|---|---|
 Salmon in 1975 | |
| 75th Governor of Vermont | |
| In office January 4, 1973 – January 6, 1977 | |
| Lieutenant | John S. Burgess Brian D. Burns |
| Preceded by | Deane C. Davis |
| Succeeded by | Richard A. Snelling |
| Minority Leader of the Vermont House of Representatives | |
| In office January 8, 1969 – January 5, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Leo O'Brien |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Candon |
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives | |
| In office January 6, 1965 – January 5, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Clarence Coleman (Rockingham) |
| Succeeded by | Maurice Stack Randolph Major (13-1 district) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Paul Salmon August 19, 1932 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 14, 2025 (aged 92) Brattleboro, Vermont, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Madge Savaria
(m. 1958; div. 1983)Susan Bisson (m. 1984) |
| Children | 4, including Tom |
| Education | Boston College (BA, JD) New York University (LLM) |
Thomas Paul Salmon (August 19, 1932 – January 14, 2025) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 75th governor of Vermont from 1973 to 1977.
Early life
[edit]Thomas P. Salmon was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 19, 1932, the son of Thomas A. Salmon and Lucy M. (Conlon) Salmon.[1][2] He was raised in Stow, Massachusetts, attended Stow High School, and graduated in 1950 from Hudson High School in Hudson, Massachusetts.[1] He earned his undergraduate degree in history and government from Boston College in 1954, and earned a J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1957.[1] He earned an LL.M. degree in taxation from New York University Law School in 1958.[3] After admission to the bar, he settled in Rockingham, Vermont, where he practiced law as a partner in the firm of Salmon and Nostrand.[1]
Salmon was active in the Catholic church[4] and belonged to the Knights of Columbus.[1] His other memberships included the American Bar Association, Vermont Bar Association, and Windham County Bar Association.[1] His fraternal memberships included the Elks and Moose.[1] Among Salmon's civic affiliations were Historic Windsor, Inc., Bellows Falls Area Development Corporation, Green Mountain Council of Boy Scouts of America, Northeast Economic Action Council, and Rotary Club.[1] He was a member of the Rockingham, Vermont and served as chairman of the Windham County Democratic Committee.[1]
Family
[edit]In August 1958, Salmon married Madeleine Gabrielle Savaria.[5] They were the parents of four children: Anne Marie, Marguerite, Thomas M., and Caroline.[1] Thomas M. Salmon served as Vermont State Auditor from 2007 to 2013.[6] Thomas and Madeleine Salmon divorced in 1983,[7] and in 1984 he married Susan June Bisson.[8]
Career
[edit]In 1960, Salmon became town counsel for Rockingham, Vermont, and he served until 1972.[9] From 1963 to 1965, he served as judge of the Bellows Falls municipal court.[10] He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Rockingham in 1965, and from District 13-1 for 1966, from 1967 to 1968 and from 1969 to 1971.[10] During his last term, he was House Minority Leader.[10] In 1970, he was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Vermont Attorney General.[4]
Governor
[edit]In 1972, Salmon won an upset victory in the election for governor; he entered the race only a month before the September primary and only three months before the general election.[11] During the campaign, Salmon capitalized on the widespread perception that out-of-state investors were overdeveloping the state's land with the slogan "Vermont Is Not For Sale."[12] Republicans won every other statewide office, but Salmon convincingly won the governorship.[12] In office, he shepherded passage of a land gains tax that was credited with slowing land speculation in Vermont.[12] He won reelection in 1974, chaired the New England Governors' Conference for two years, and was a member of the National Governors Association's Executive Committee.[3] Salmon was an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senator from Vermont in the 1976 election, losing to the incumbent Robert Stafford.[3]
Later career
[edit]After leaving office, Salmon resumed practicing law.[12] In 1991, Salmon was appointed interim president of the University of Vermont and served as the university's permanent president from 1993 to 1998.[12] Upon retiring from UVM, he practiced law in Bellows Falls, Vermont. He also served as chairman of the board for Green Mountain Power from 1983 to 2002.[13]
Salmon died in Brattleboro, Vermont on January 14, 2025.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j U.S. Senate Committee On Commerce, Science, and Transportation (1979). Nominations to the Railroad Passenger Corporation and United States Railway Corporation: Biographical Sketch of Thomas P. Salmon. Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office. pp. 6–7 – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Obituary, Lucy M. (Conlon) Salmon". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. July 17, 1995. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Thomas P. Salmon". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ a b Hand, Samuel B. (2002). The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854-1974. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. p. 287. ISBN 978-0-7391-0600-6 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Miss Savaria Lists Guests For Wedding". The Springfield Daily News. Springfield, Massachusetts. August 14, 1958. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McQuiston, Timothy (May 18, 2012). "Vermont Auditor Tom Salmon will not run for re-election". Vermont Biz.com. South Burlington, Vermont. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- ^ "Vermont Divorce Index, 1925-2003, Entry for Thomas P. Salmon and Madeleine G. Savaria". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. 1983. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "Marriage: Thomas P. Salmon and Susan J. Bisson". Brattleboro Reformer. Brattleboro, Vermont. September 4, 1984. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Salmon to Open Office". Brattleboro Reformer. Brattleboro, Vermont. August 25, 1960. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Miller, H. Nicholas III; Feeney, Vince (2003). Duffy, John J.; Hand, Samuel B.; Orth, Ralph H. (eds.). The Vermont Encyclopedia. Hanover, New Hampshire: University Press of New England. pp. 260–261. ISBN 978-1-5846-5086-7 – via Google Books.
- ^ O'Connor, Kevin (August 19, 2022). "50 years later, Tom Salmon revisits 'the biggest political upset in Vermont history'". VTDigger. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e McQuiston, Timothy (January 15, 2025). "Tom Salmon: 'Vermont is not for sale'". Vermont Biz.com. South Burlington, Vermont.
- ^ Thomas P. Salmon-Of Counsel-Salmon Nostrand. Archived May 9, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ O'Connor, Kevin (January 15, 2025). "Tom Salmon, governor behind 'the biggest political upset in Vermont history,' dies at 92". VTDigger. Montpelier, Vermont. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Thomas P. Salmon at Vermont Folk Life Center
- Thomas P. Salmon at National Governors Association
- Thomas P. Salmon at The Political Graveyard
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1932 births
- 2025 deaths
- 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly
- Boston College Law School alumni
- Catholic politicians from Massachusetts
- Catholic politicians from Vermont
- Democratic Party governors of Vermont
- Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives
- Lawyers from Cleveland
- New York University School of Law alumni
- People from Bellows Falls, Vermont
- People from Hudson, Massachusetts
- People from Stow, Massachusetts
- Politicians from Cleveland
- Presidents of the University of Vermont
- Vermont state court judges
- Vermont lawyers