Lee Earl Emerson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 69th Governor of Vermont | |
| In office January 4, 1951 – January 6, 1955 | |
| Lieutenant | Joseph B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Harold J. Arthur |
| Succeeded by | Joseph B. Johnson |
| 63rd Lieutenant Governor of Vermont | |
| In office 1945–1949 | |
| Governor | Mortimer R. Proctor Ernest W. Gibson, Jr. |
| Preceded by | Mortimer R. Proctor |
| Succeeded by | Harold J. Arthur |
| President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate | |
| In office 1943–1945 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph H. Denny |
| Succeeded by | John A. M. Hinsman |
| Member of theVermont Senate | |
| In office 1943–1945 Serving with John M. Bradley | |
| Preceded by | Harold H. Farman, Addison W. Fletcher |
| Succeeded by | John M. Bradley, Carlyle Verne Willey |
| Constituency | Orleans County |
| Speaker of theVermont House of Representatives | |
| In office 1941–1943 | |
| Preceded by | Oscar L. Shepard |
| Succeeded by | Asa S. Bloomer |
| Member of theVermont House of Representatives | |
| In office 1939–1943 | |
| Preceded by | Addison W. Fletcher |
| Succeeded by | William Erastus Hanson |
| Constituency | Barton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1898-12-19)December 19, 1898 |
| Died | May 21, 1976(1976-05-21) (aged 77) Berlin, Vermont, ,US |
| Resting place | Welcome O. Brown Cemetery, Barton, Vermont |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Dorcas Ball Emerson |
| Alma mater | Syracuse University George Washington University Law School |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1918 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | Students' Army Training Corps,Syracuse University |
| Wars | World War I |
Lee Earl Emerson (December 19, 1898 – May 21, 1976[1]) was an American politician who served in both theVermont House of Representatives and theVermont Senate. A member of theRepublican Party, he was the 63rdLieutenant Governor of Vermont and the69th governor of Vermont. When he was first elected in the1950 Vermont gubernatorial election, he received over 70% of the vote, a feat not equaled until 1992 (byHoward Dean) and not until 2022 by a Republican (Phil Scott). Despite his success in 1950, he lost the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Vermontin 1958 to CongressmanWinston L. Prouty. He also lost the 1960 primary for Vermont's seat in theU.S. House of Representatives to incumbent GovernorRobert T. Stafford.
Emerson was born inHardwick, Vermont, on December 19, 1898, and moved toBarton at the age of 16. He graduated fromBarton Academy in 1917, and served in theUnited States Army duringWorld War I as a member of theStudents' Army Training Corps. Emerson received anA.B. fromSyracuse University in 1921 and anLL.B. fromGeorge Washington University Law School in 1926. He practiced law inBarton.[2]
He was elected as aRepublican to theVermont House of Representatives in 1938 and served two terms. He was electedSpeaker of the House in his second term, serving from 1941 to 1943.[3] He was elected to theVermont Senate in 1942, served from 1943 to 1945, and was electedPresident Pro Tempore.[4] He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Vermont in 1944 and 1946, serving from 1945 to 1949.[5]
Throughout much of Vermont's history Governors and Lieutenant Governors had served two one-year terms, and later one two-year term as part of the Republican Party's"Mountain Rule." However,Ernest W. Gibson, Jr. had successfully challenged the established structure to win the governorship in 1946.[6] Gibson defeated Emerson in the 1948 Republican primary and went on to win reelection to a second term.[7] Emerson's fellow conservativeHarold J. Arthur succeeded Emerson as lieutenant governor.[8] When Arthur unexpectedly became governor in 1950 after Gibson resigned to accept a federal judgeship, Arthur served out Gibson's term but declined to run for a full term himself, clearing the way for Emerson's comeback.[9] Emerson was elected governor in 1950 and reelected in 1952, serving from 1951 to 1955.[10] (Arthur instead ran for the U.S. House and lost the Republican primary to Winston Prouty, who went on to win the general election.)[11]
As Governor, he recommended that Vermont citizens serving in theKorean War be paid a bonus by the state. He supported studies of the feasibility of building a natural gas pipeline for Vermont and of possible racial discrimination in the state. Also during his administration, legislation known as the Forest Act was passed, providing assistance for municipalities to establish forests.[12]
Emerson also played a role in theNovikoff Affair, in which atenuredUniversity of VermontprofessorAlex B. Novikoff was dismissed for allegedCommunist sympathies that were never substantiated.[13][14]
In 1958, he ran unsuccessfully for theUnited States Senate, losing theRepublican nomination toWinston Prouty.[15]
In 1960, Emerson was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for Vermont's seat in theUnited States House of Representatives, losing to incumbent GovernorRobert T. Stafford.[16] Stafford went on to victory in the general election, defeating one term incumbentWilliam H. Meyer, the firstDemocrat elected statewide in more than 100 years.[17] (Myer had defeated Harold Arthur in the 1958 general election for the U.S. House seat.)[18]
Emerson married Dorcas M. Ball on August 4, 1927. They had two children, Nancy and Cynthia.[19]
He died in Berlin, Vermont, on May 26, 1976.[20] He is buried at Welcome O. Brown Cemetery in Barton.[21]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forLieutenant Governor of Vermont 1944, 1946 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Vermont 1950,1952 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives 1941–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the Vermont State Senate 1943–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Vermont 1945–1949 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Vermont 1951–1955 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
