Philip H. Hoff | |
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| 73rdGovernor of Vermont | |
| In office January 10, 1963 – January 9, 1969 | |
| Lieutenant | Ralph A. Foote John J. Daley |
| Preceded by | F. Ray Keyser Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Deane C. Davis |
| Member of theVermont Senate | |
| In office 1983–1989 Serving with George Little Jr., Dennis Delaney, Thomas Crowley, Doug Racine (1982, 1984, 1986), Sallie Soule, (1982), Sally Conrad (1984, 1986) | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Crowley, Esther Sorrell, Robert V. "Bill" Daniels, Mark Kaplan, E. Douglas McSweeney, Sallie Soule |
| Succeeded by | Sally Conrad, Thomas Crowley,Doug Racine, George Little Jr.,Hilton Wick, Stephen Blodgett |
| Constituency | Chittenden County |
| Chairman of theVermont Democratic Party | |
| In office 1973–1975 | |
| Preceded by | Leonard Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Robert Branon |
| Member of theVermont House of Representatives | |
| In office 1961–1963 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph E. Moore |
| Succeeded by | Richard H. Schmidt |
| Constituency | Burlington |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Philip Henderson Hoff (1924-06-29)June 29, 1924 Turners Falls, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | April 26, 2018(2018-04-26) (aged 93) Shelburne, Vermont, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Joan Brower (m. 1948) |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Williams College Cornell Law School |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | Seaman First Class |
| Unit | USSSea Dog |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Philip Henderson Hoff (June 29, 1924 – April 26, 2018) was an American politician from the U.S. state ofVermont. He was most notable for his service as the73rd governor of Vermont from 1963 to 1969, the state's firstDemocratic governor since 1853.
Hoff was born inTurners Falls, Massachusetts, the son of Agnes (Henderson) and Olaf Hoff, Jr.[1] His father worked in the insurance industry and served two terms in theMassachusetts House of Representatives. Hoff was a starhigh school football player, scoring the winning touchdown in Turners Falls High School's 1942 annual game against rivalGreenfield High School.[2]
Hoff attendedWilliams College, where he studied English, but postponed graduation for two years in order to serve inWorld War II.[2] He enisted in December 1942 and saw combat action during World War II aboard the submarine,USSSea Dog, which took part in combat patrols throughout thePacific Ocean theater.[3] He attained the rank ofSeaman First Class with the rating of quartermaster (the Navy's term for a navigator), and was discharged in 1946.[4] He met his wife, Joan Brower, during his naval service and they married in 1948.[5] After graduating from Williams College in 1948, he attendedCornell Law School, where he joined thePhi Delta Phi fraternity and graduated in 1951.[2] The Hoffs were the parents of four daughters―Susan, Dagny, Andrea, and Gretchen.[6]
The Hoffs moved toBurlington, Vermont, in 1951,[2] where Hoff began a law practice. He also became involved in local politics as aDemocrat, and was a founder of the activist group Vermont Democratic Volunteers.[7][8] In addition to serving as ajustice of the peace,[9] he was also chairman of the cityzoning board.[10] Hoff was also an officer of theChittenden County Bar Association[11] and a member of the Burlington-Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce board of directors.[12]
Hoff was elected to theVermont House of Representatives in 1960, and served one term, 1961 to 1963.[13] As a legislator, Hoff was a member of the "Young Turks," a bipartisan alliance of progressive and reform minded representatives and senators that included RepublicansFranklin S. Billings Jr. andErnest W. Gibson III.[14]
In 1962, Hoffwas elected Vermont's firstDemocratic governor since theVermont General Assembly selectedJohn S. Robinson after no candidate obtained a popular vote majority in 1853.[15] Hoff waged an energetic campaign against incumbent RepublicanF. Ray Keyser Jr., and capitalized on local factors including a split between Vermont's conservative and progressive Republicans (theProctor Wing and theAiken-Gibson Wing).[16] Rather than support the conservative Keyser, many of Vermont's liberal Republicans opted to support Hoff on a third party line, which contributed to his narrow margin of victory.[16] Hoff was also aided by national factors, including the popularity of incumbent Democratic PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, to whom Hoff was often compared.[17]
Hoff won reelection in 1964 and 1966. During his governorship, he pioneered unprecedented environmental, development, and social welfare programs, including the creation of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women.[18] Concerned about racial justice, he joined with New York MayorJohn Lindsay to co-found the Vermont-New York Youth Project, which brought minority students from the city together with Vermont students to work on joint summer projects at several Vermont colleges.[19] According to theBoston Globe, the program, which temporarily doubled Vermont's black population, "uncovered some latent bigotry that had not been visible before."[19] The poll tax was eliminated during his tenure as governor, and the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, Legal Aid and Vermont Public Television were established.[20]
Hoff was the first Democratic Governor in the nation to split with PresidentLyndon Johnson over theVietnam War and later campaigned across the country to promoteRobert F. Kennedy's effort to obtain the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination.[7] After Kennedy's assassination, Hoff endorsedEugene McCarthy.[7] Democrats who opposed Johnson came close to nominating Hoff as a candidate for Vice President at the1968 Democratic National Convention, but after some initial enthusiasm, Hoff declined to put his name forward.[21]
Hoff's endorsement of Kennedy and later McCarthy upset conservative Democrats and Hoff was also criticized for increases in state spending which some claimed led to hefty deficits.[22] In1970, Hoff challenged incumbent U.S. SenatorWinston L. Prouty, but Prouty easily won reelection.[22] During the campaign, Hoff announced that he had battled alcoholism in the past.[23] Had he won, Hoff would have been the first Democratic senator in Vermont history.[22]
In the 1980s he returned to elective politics, serving three terms in the Vermont State Senate (1983-1989).[22] He also served in various advisory and honorary positions and as President of the Board of Trustees atVermont Law School as well as continuing his work as a lawyer in private practice.[7] In 1989, he co-founded the law firm of Hoff, Curtis.[22]
Hoff died at an assisted living facility inShelburne, Vermont, on April 26, 2018, at age 93.[7]
Hoff was the subject of a biography, 2011'sPhilip Hoff: How Red Turned Blue in the Green Mountain State by Samuel B. Hand, Anthony Marro, and Stephen C. Terry.[24]
In 2012,Castleton State College named its newest residence hall after Hoff, the first building to be named in his honor.[25]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Russell Niquette | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Vermont 1962,1964,1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Frederick Fayette | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromVermont (Class 1) 1970 | Succeeded by Randolph Major |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Vermont 1963–1969 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
