Previous Governors of Vermont
Governors who previously held office in Vermont, with term dates and party affiliation.
Phil Scott was elected Governor of Vermont in 2016 and has been re-elected four times, most recently in 2024. A moderate Republican in a heavily Democratic state, he has consistently won by large margins and regularly clashes with the Democratic legislature. Vermont governors serve two-year terms with no term limits.
Peter Elliott Shumlin is an American politician from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 81st governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017.
James Holley Douglas is an American politician from the state of Vermont. A Republican, he served as the 80th governor of Vermont from 2003 to 2011. On August 27, 2009, Douglas announced that he would not seek re-election for a fifth term in 2010. He left the office in January 2011.
Howard Brush Dean III is an American physician and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 2009. Dean was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election. Afterward, he became a political commentator and consultant to McKenna Long & Aldridge, a law and lobbying firm.
Richard Arkwright Snelling was an American businessman, politician, and the 76th and 78th governor of Vermont from 1977 to 1985 and from January 10, 1991, until his death.
Madeleine Kunin is a Swiss-born American diplomat, author, and politician. She served as the 77th governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991, and as the United States ambassador to Switzerland from 1996 to 1999. She was Vermont's first and, to date, only female governor as well as the first Jewish governor of Vermont. She was also the first Jewish woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Richard Arkwright Snelling was an American businessman, politician, and the 76th and 78th governor of Vermont from 1977 to 1985 and from January 10, 1991, until his death.
Thomas Paul Salmon was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 75th governor of Vermont from 1973 to 1977.
Deane Chandler Davis was an American attorney and insurance executive from Vermont. Long active in Republican politics, he is most notable for his service as the 74th governor of Vermont from 1969 to 1973.
Philip Henderson Hoff was an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. He was most notable for his service as the 73rd governor of Vermont from 1963 to 1969, the state's first Democratic governor since 1853.