Peter Shumlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Shumlin
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| 81st Governor of Vermont | |
| In office January 6, 2011 – January 5, 2017 |
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| Lieutenant | Phil Scott |
| Preceded by | Jim Douglas |
| Succeeded by | Phil Scott |
| 77th & 79th President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 5, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Welch |
| Succeeded by | John Campbell |
| In office January 8, 1997 – January 8, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Stephen Webster |
| Succeeded by | Peter Welch |
| Member of the Vermont Senate from the Windham County district |
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| In office January 3, 2007 – January 5, 2011 Serving with Jeanette White
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| Preceded by | Roderick "Rod" M. Gander |
| Succeeded by | Peter Galbraith |
| In office January 6, 1993 – January 8, 2003 Serving with Jan Backus, Nancy Chard
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| Preceded by | Robert T. Gannett |
| Succeeded by | Jeanette White Roderick "Rod" M. Gander |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter Elliott Shumlin
March 24, 1956 Brattleboro, Vermont, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
Elizabeth Preston Parsons
(m. 1981, divorced)Deborah Holway
(m. 1989; div. 2013)Katie Hunt
(m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Wesleyan University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
Peter Elliott Shumlin (born March 24, 1956) is an American politician from Vermont. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He served as the 81st governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017.
He was first elected governor in 2010 and won again in 2012. In 2014, he won the most votes but not more than half. Vermont's rules say that if no one gets over 50%, the state legislature chooses the winner. The legislature nearly always picks the person with the most votes, which they did for Shumlin in January 2015. In June 2015, Shumlin announced he would not run for governor again in 2016.
As governor, he signed laws about end-of-life choices for very sick people. He also signed the first law in the United States requiring labels on genetically modified foods. He was the leader of the Democratic Governors Association during his first two terms.
Before becoming governor, he was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1991 to 1993. He also represented the Windham District in the Vermont Senate from 1993 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2011.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Peter Shumlin was born in Brattleboro, Vermont. He went to Buxton School in Williamstown, Massachusetts, for high school. He then graduated from Wesleyan University in 1979.
In the 1980s, Shumlin served on the Selectboard for the town of Putney. A Selectboard is a group of elected officials who manage a town's local government. He also helped start Landmark College. This college was created to help students with learning disabilities get a college education.
Peter's father, George J. Shumlin, was Jewish and came from Russian immigrant families. His mother, Kitty A. (Prins) Shumlin, was from the Netherlands and was Protestant.
Start of Political Career
Serving in the Vermont Legislature
Governor Madeleine M. Kunin chose Peter Shumlin to fill an open spot in the Vermont House of Representatives. He served in the House from 1990 to 1993. In 1992, he was elected to the Vermont Senate. He quickly became the leader of the minority party in the Senate.
In 1996, Shumlin helped his fellow Democrats win back control of the Senate. In 1997, he became the Senate President Pro Tempore. This is a top leadership role in the Senate.
Running for Lieutenant Governor
In 2002, Shumlin won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. However, he lost the main election to Republican Brian Dubie.
Time Away from Politics
From 2003 to 2006, Shumlin worked in his family's business, Putney Student Travel. This company helps middle and high school students travel to other countries. They learn about different cultures and prepare for college.
Returning to the Vermont Senate
In 2006, Shumlin successfully ran for his old seat in the State Senate. He ran after Rod Gander retired. When he returned, Shumlin was again chosen as President Pro Tempore.
Governor of Vermont
Gubernatorial Elections
2010 Election
On November 16, 2009, Shumlin announced he would run for governor. He won the Democratic primary election on August 24, 2010. It was a very close race with four other candidates.
In the general election on November 2, 2010, Shumlin received the most votes. He got 119,543 votes, which was 49.44%. His Republican opponent, Brian Dubie, received 115,212 votes. Vermont law requires a candidate to get over 50% of the votes to win. Since no one did, the Vermont General Assembly chose the winner. On January 6, 2011, the General Assembly elected Shumlin as governor.
Vermont and New Hampshire are the only U.S. states where governors are elected every two years.
2012 Election
The 2012 election happened on November 6, 2012. Shumlin was the only candidate in the Democratic primary. He easily won re-election against Republican Randy Brock. He received 170,749 votes, which was 57.8%.
2014 Election
Shumlin ran for a third term as the Democratic candidate. Republicans chose businessman Scott Milne.
A big promise Shumlin made was to create a single health care system for Vermont.
In the November 4 election, Shumlin got 46.4% of the votes. Milne got 45.1%. Since no candidate received over 50%, the Constitution of Vermont required the 180-member Vermont General Assembly to choose the winner. On January 8, 2015, the Assembly chose Shumlin over Milne.
First Term as Governor
Key Events and Policies
After Shumlin's election in 2010, many of his primary opponents joined his team. They took on important roles in his administration.
A major event during his first term was Tropical Storm Irene. This storm caused almost every river in Vermont to flood. It led to significant damage to roads and bridges. The cost of repairs was estimated to be over $700 million. This meant Vermont's budget needed a big change.
- April 26, 2011: Shumlin spoke on The Rachel Maddow Show. He talked about health care reform in Vermont. He said he believed health care should be available to everyone.
- May 26, 2011: Shumlin signed a bill to create a state health care exchange. This was part of the Affordable Care Act. Vermont became the first state to plan for a single health care system for all residents.
- August 17, 2011: Shumlin became the first sitting governor in the United States to lead a same-sex wedding ceremony.
- August 27, 2011: Shumlin declared a state of emergency for Tropical Storm Irene. This helped the state prepare for the storm.
2012 Highlights
- January 5, 2012: In his State of the State Address, Shumlin talked about Vermont's job growth. He said the state's unemployment rate had dropped to 5.3%.
- May 16, 2012: Shumlin signed a bill that banned hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"). This is a method used to get natural gas from underground. Vermont was the first state to pass such a ban.
- December 4, 2012: Shumlin was chosen to lead the Democratic Governors Association for 2013.
Second Term as Governor
Important Decisions
Shumlin was against the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. His team wanted it to close. However, a judge ruled in 2012 that Vermont could not force the plant to close. But on August 27, 2013, the plant's owner announced it would close by the end of 2014.
Shumlin had promised to create a single health care system for Vermont. In 2011, the Vermont Legislature created a plan called Green Mountain Care. This made Vermont the first state to explore this idea. Vermont also took part in the Affordable Care Act. However, in December 2014, Shumlin announced that Vermont would not go forward with the single health care plan. He said it could cause "economic disruption."
..... He said it was a bigger challenge than recovering from Tropical Storm Irene. He offered a four-point plan to help:
- Provide more treatment options to reduce wait times for people seeking help.
2013 Highlights
- January 10, 2013: Shumlin gave a State of the State Address. He focused on improving education in Vermont. This was to make Vermont's workforce more attractive to businesses.
- December 9, 2013: He was re-elected to lead the Democratic Governors Association for 2014.
2014 Highlights
- December 17, 2014: Shumlin announced that Vermont would stop its plan for the single health care system. He said it could cause "potential economic disruption."
Third Term as Governor
2015 Events
On June 8, 2015, Shumlin announced he would not run for a fourth term in 2016.
Unlike some other governors, Shumlin said Vermont would continue to welcome refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria. He said the screening process was good at finding people who should not be accepted. He also said that turning away refugees went against what makes America great.
Pardons Issued
During his time as governor, Shumlin issued 208 pardons. This was the most of any Vermont governor. Most of these were in January 2017, near the end of his term. ..... These pardons were for people who had no history of violent crimes or serious felony convictions.
Political Views
In 2011, Shumlin supported a group called "Team Kale" in a disagreement with a fast food restaurant. He said it showed that people shouldn't "mess with Vermont."
Shumlin supports same-sex marriage. He helped make it legal in Vermont when he was the President Pro Tempore of the Vermont Senate.
On May 8, 2015, Shumlin signed a bill about labeling genetically modified food (GMO). This law meant that some products sold in Vermont had to say if they were made with genetic engineering.
Personal Life
Family
Peter Shumlin was married to Deborah Holway from 1989 to 2013. They have two daughters together.
In September 2015, Shumlin announced he was engaged to Kate Hunt. They married in December 2015 at their home in East Montpelier.
Property Sale Discussion
In May 2013, Shumlin was involved in a property deal that caused some discussion. A neighbor who owned land next to Shumlin's home owed taxes. The neighbor asked Shumlin to buy the property. Shumlin bought it, paid the back taxes, and allowed the neighbor to stay there for several months. Later, the neighbor changed their mind. After some news reports, Shumlin agreed to let the neighbor buy the property back.
Images for kids
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Peter Shumlin's signature
