About Governor Jim Douglas

Governor Jim Douglas has been serving the people of Vermont for more than thirty years. Elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 1972-the same year he graduated from Middlebury College-his influence as a legislator increased quickly, becoming assistant majority leader in his second term and majority leader in his third term at the age of twenty-five. Governor Douglas retired from the state legislature in 1979 to become a top aide to Governor Richard Snelling.

In 1980, Governor Douglas was elected Secretary of State, a post he held until 1993-winning reelection five times, and receiving the nomination of both parties on three occasions. His counterparts elected Governor Douglas as President of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

Governor Douglas was elected State Treasurer in 1994, receiving the nomination of both parties and winning with 94 percent of the vote. During this time he was elected president of the National Association of State Treasurers. He served as Treasurer until his inauguration as Governor in 2003.

The Governor is past president of the Council of State Governments, chairman of the New England Governor's Conference, a member of the Secretary of Homeland Security's Local Advisory Council, and vice chairman, and lead governor for energy policy, for the Coalition of Northeastern Governors.

He is also former chairman of the National Governor's Association's Legal Affairs Committee and currently the co-chairman of the organization's e-Health Alliance and vice chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee.

Outside of government and politics, Governor Douglas has been active in many community organizations. He's a past President of the Addison County Chamber of Commerce and Porter Medical Center. He was master of his Masonic Lodge, Treasurer of the State 4-H Foundation and President of the Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ. He has served on the boards of the Mary Johnson Day Care Center, the Counseling Service of Addison County, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and the United Ways of both Addison County and Vermont. He continues to serve as Town Moderator for Middlebury, a post he has held for more than twenty years.

Over the course of his career, Governor Douglas has received more votes than any other person in Vermont history, a testament to his appeal to voters of all political persuasions.

The First Lady of Vermont is Dorothy Douglas. The Governor and Mrs. Douglas have two grown sons, Matthew and Andrew.