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Madeleine Kunin | |
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| United States Ambassador to Liechtenstein | |
| In office March 14, 1997 – August 16, 1999 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | M. Larry Lawrence |
| Succeeded by | J. Richard Fredericks |
| United States Ambassador to Switzerland | |
| In office August 19, 1996 – August 16, 1999 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | M. Larry Lawrence |
| Succeeded by | J. Richard Fredericks |
| United States Deputy Secretary of Education | |
| In office 1993–1996 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | David T. Kearns |
| Succeeded by | Marshall S. Smith |
| 77thGovernor of Vermont | |
| In office January 10, 1985 – January 10, 1991 | |
| Lieutenant | Peter Smith Howard Dean |
| Preceded by | Richard A. Snelling |
| Succeeded by | Richard A. Snelling |
| 75thLieutenant Governor of Vermont | |
| In office January 10, 1979 – January 10, 1983 | |
| Governor | Richard A. Snelling |
| Preceded by | T. Garry Buckley |
| Succeeded by | Peter Smith |
| Member of theVermont House of Representatives | |
| In office January 5, 1973 – January 5, 1979 Serving with Evelyn Jarrett (1973–1975) Mary Evelti (1975–1979) | |
| Preceded by | Evelyn Jarrett George Little |
| Succeeded by | Pamela Erkson Mary Evelti |
| Constituency | Chittenden 1-8 district (1973–1975) Chittenden 4-8 district (1975–1979) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Madeleine May (1933-09-28)September 28, 1933 (age 92) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Education | University of Massachusetts, Amherst (BA) Columbia University (MA) University of Vermont (MA) |
Madeleine Kunin (néeMay; born September 28, 1933) is a Swiss-born American diplomat, author and politician. She served as the77th governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991, as a member of theDemocratic Party. She also served asUnited States Ambassador to Switzerland from 1996 to 1999. She was Vermont's first and, to date, onlyfemale governor as well as the firstJewish governor of Vermont. She was also the first Jewish woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state. Since 2003, Kunin has been a James Marsh Professor-at-Large at theUniversity of Vermont.[1][2]
Kunin also served as theLieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1979 until 1983. She ran for governor in1982, but lost to Incumbent GovernorRichard Snelling.
Kunin was narrowly elected governor in1984, won reelection in1986, promptly after being elected by the Vermont General Assembly, and won a third term in1988. In1990, she did not seek reelection, and was succeeded by Snelling, who would serve for a little over seven months before he died in office. Since the death ofThomas P. Salmon on January 14, 2025, Kunin is the oldest living former Governor of Vermont.
Kunin was born on September 28, 1933, inZürich, Switzerland,[3] the daughter of Renee (Bloch) and Ferdinand May. Her family wereGerman Jewsescaped to Switzerland after the Nazi rise.[4]Kunin's father, Ferdinand May, suffered depression and died by suicide in a lake near Zurich.[4]She moved to the United States as a child.[5] She received her bachelor's degree in history from theUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst (1956), a master's degree from theColumbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and a master's degree in English from theUniversity of Vermont. Prior to seeking elective office, she worked as a journalist forThe Burlington Free Press, as a tour guide at the World's Fair, and as a part-time college professor. She was also involved in community activities, particularly in the area of women's rights, children, and literature. In 2012 her book,The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work, and Family, was published by Chelsea Green Publishing.[6]
In 1972, Kunin was defeated in her bid to join theBurlingtonBoard of Aldermen. Later that year she was elected aVermont State Representative, where in her first term she served as a member of the Government Operations Committee. Following her reelection in 1974, she was electedMinority Whip of the State House and appointed to the Appropriations Committee. After being elected to a third term in 1976, she was appointed Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, the first woman to assume this position. Kunin has written that when she served on the Appropriations Committee during his chairmanship,Emory A. Hebard, a conservative Republican who later served asVermont State Treasurer, was a mentor, and gave her significant responsibilities despite her status as a member of the minority Democrats. When Hebard left the House, he successfully lobbied his former colleagues to name Kunin as chairwoman of the committee.[7]
In 1978 she was elected to the first of two terms as the75th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. Serving withRepublicanRichard A. Snelling, Kunin primarily served as President of the State Senate and worked with citizens around the state. She produced various studies in areas such as energy and daycare and made policy recommendations to the Governor and Legislature. Kunin was a frequent speaker statewide during her time as lieutenant governor.
Kunin did not run for reelection as lieutenant governor in 1982, instead challenging Snelling for the governorship. She was unsuccessful, but in 1984 Snelling did not run for reelection, and Kunin was the successful Democratic nominee, defeating RepublicanJohn J. Easton Jr. to win the first of her three terms as governor.
In 1986 Kunin ran for her second term as governor. Her opponents were RepublicanPeter Plympton Smith and independentBernie Sanders. Smith received 38 percent of the vote, Sanders 14 percent, and Kunin won with 47 percent of the vote.[8]
She is the first woman in U.S. history to have been elected governor of a U.S. state three times. As governor, she focused on the environment, education, and children's issues. She appointed the first woman to theVermont Supreme Court and created her state'sfamily court system. After rising unpopularity due to significant budget cuts and economic downturn within the State, Kunin declined to seek reelection in 1990.[9]
She was a member of the administration of PresidentBill Clinton, serving asdeputy secretary of education of the United States from 1993 until 1997 when she became the ambassador to her native Switzerland, as well as toLiechtenstein. Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, she worked in Clinton's campaign as a member of the search committee for the vice presidential nominee and on the transition team.Switzerland-United States relations entered a tense phase during theWorld Jewish Congress lawsuit against Swiss banks starting in 1995.The U.S. federal government adopted a delicate policy of supporting the heirs of the Holocaust victims, while formally opposing sanctions against Switzerland.[10] Ultimately, the Swiss banks agreed to a 1.25 billion dollar settlement with Holocaust survivors and their heirs in 1998. Furthermore, in the wake of the lawsuit, the Swiss government established steps tore-evaluate the role ofSwitzerland during World War II.One of the steps taken was the publication of the names of the owners of dormant accounts in Swiss banks, with the surprise result that Renee May, Kunin's mother deceased in 1970 was among the names.[4]
Kunin is the author of the booksComing of Age: My Journey to the Eighties (2018),The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work, and Family (2012), Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead (2008) andLiving a Political Life (1995) which chronicles her career prior to joining the U.S. Department of Education. She is a resident ofBurlington, Vermont.[11][when?]
Kunin is the mother of four children,[12] including her daughterJulia Kunin.[13] She divorced her first husband, the academic Arthur Kunin, in 1995. She marriedJohn W. Hennessey Jr., a professor atDartmouth College, in 2006.[12]
Kunin was the sister of the lateEdgar May, who was aPulitzer Prize–winning journalist and a member of both theVermont House of Representatives andVermont State Senate.
Governor Kunin has received more than twenty honorary degrees.[citation needed]
In 1995, Kunin received the Foreign Language Advocacy Award from the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in recognition of her support for education, equal access for all children and equitable salaries for teachers.[14]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Alden | Democratic nominee forLieutenant Governor of Vermont 1978, 1980 | Succeeded by Thomas Ryan |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Vermont 1982,1984,1986,1988 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Vermont 1979–1983 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Vermont 1985–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Switzerland 1996–1999 | Succeeded by |
| United States Ambassador to Liechtenstein 1997–1999 | ||
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Senator | Order of precedence of the United States Within Vermont | Succeeded byas Former Governor |
| Preceded byas Former Governor | Order of precedence of the United States Outside Vermont | |
| Minister Resident |  | |
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| Chargé d'Affaires | ||
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
