Thomas P. Salmon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas P. Salmon
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Salmon in 1975
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| 75th Governor of Vermont | |
| In office January 4, 1973 – January 6, 1977 |
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| Lieutenant | John S. Burgess Brian D. Burns |
| Preceded by | Deane C. Davis |
| Succeeded by | Richard A. Snelling |
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Rockingham | |
| In office January 1965 – January 1971 |
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| 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 |
| Spouses |
Madge Savaria
(m. 1958; div. 1983)Susan June Bisson
(m. 1984) |
| Children | 4, including Thomas M. Salmon |
| 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.
Background
Salmon was born in Cleveland, Ohio, raised in Stow, Massachusetts, and attended Hudson High School in Hudson, Massachusetts. He earned his undergraduate degree from Boston College in 1954, and earned a J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1957. He earned an LL.M. degree in taxation from New York University Law School in 1958. He married Madeleine G. Savaria and they had four children. His son, Thomas M. Salmon served as State Auditor of Vermont from 2007 to 2013, and switched his political affiliation to Republican in 2009.
Career
In 1959, Salmon became town counsel for Rockingham, Vermont, serving until 1972. From 1963 to 1965, he served as a municipal court judge in Bellows Falls, a village within the town of Rockingham. 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. During his last term, he was House Minority Leader. In 1970, he was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Vermont Attorney General.
Governor of Vermont 1973–1977
In 1972, Salmon won a surprise election for governor; he entered the race only a month before the September primary and only three months before the general election. As Governor of Vermont from 1973 to 1977, Salmon chaired the New England Governors' Conference for two years and was a member of the National Governors Association's Executive Committee. He was an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senator from Vermont in the 1976 election, losing to the incumbent Robert Stafford.
Later career and death
In 1991, Salmon was appointed interim president of the University of Vermont and served as the university's permanent president from 1993 to 1998. 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.
Salmon was a Catholic; and a member of several organization including the Elks, Moose, Knights of Columbus, Jaycees, Rotary, and the American Bar Association. He died in Brattleboro, Vermont, on January 14, 2025, at the age of 92.
