Alison H. Clarkson
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Alison Hudnut Clarkson (born April 26, 1955) is an American theatrical producer and politician. She has been the majority leader of the
Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...
since 2021, representing the Windsor district as a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
. Before entering the state senate, she served in the
Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...
from the Windsor 5th district from 2005 to 2017. Clarkson was born in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, and educated at
The Park School of Buffalo The Park School of Buffalo is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Amherst, New York (north of Buffalo). Founded in 1912 during the American country day school movement, the institution features lower, middle, and ...
and
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. She worked as a theatrical producer for productions which included '' The Potsdam Quartet'' and
A. R. Gurney Albert Ramsdell Gurney Jr. (November 1, 1930 – June 13, 2017) (sometimes credited as Pete Gurney) was an American playwright, novelist and academic. He is known for works including ''The Dining Room'' (1982), '' Sweet Sue'' (1986/7), and ''The ...
's ''The Middle Ages'' and served on the
New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 4th Street (Manhattan), East 4th Street between Second Avenue (Manhattan), Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village, ...
's board of directors. She was elected to the state house in the 2004 election after Representative Jack Anderson retired. She continued to serve in the state house until her election to the state senate in the 2016 election following the retirement of Senator John F. Campbell. Clarkson was selected to replace Becca Balint as Majority Leader in the state senate in 2020.


Early life and education

Alison Hudnut Clarkson was born in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, on April 26, 1955, to William Melbourne Elliott Clarkson, who later served as the Executive Deputy Commissioner of Commerce of the State of New York. She graduated from
The Park School of Buffalo The Park School of Buffalo is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Amherst, New York (north of Buffalo). Founded in 1912 during the American country day school movement, the institution features lower, middle, and ...
, which she later served on its board of trustees, and from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, attending
Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...
, with a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in 1977. Clarkson married Oliver Ramsdell Goodenough, with whom she had two children, on January 12, 1985, and moved to Vermont in 1992. Clarkson was a theatrical producer and served on the board of directors for the
New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 4th Street (Manhattan), East 4th Street between Second Avenue (Manhattan), Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village, ...
and Vermont Arts Council board of trustees; the first production she managed was '' The Potsdam Quartet'' in 1982, and she produced
A. R. Gurney Albert Ramsdell Gurney Jr. (November 1, 1930 – June 13, 2017) (sometimes credited as Pete Gurney) was an American playwright, novelist and academic. He is known for works including ''The Dining Room'' (1982), '' Sweet Sue'' (1986/7), and ''The ...
's ''The Middle Ages'' in 1983.


Career


Vermont House of Representatives

Jack Anderson, an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
member of the
Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...
, retired during the 2004 election. She won the Democratic nomination and defeated Republican nominee Preston J. Bristow Jr. in the general election. She won reelection in the 2006, 2010, 2012, and 2014 elections without opposition. She defeated Republican nominee Geoffrey Peterson, whose name had appeared on the ballot despite him dropping out and who announced in October that he was not in the race, in the 2008 election. During her tenure in the state house she served on the Judicial Retention committee. She served as the clerk of the Ways and Means committee, and vice-chair and chair of the Legislative Council.


Vermont Senate

John F. Campbell, the
President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate The President ''pro tempore'' of the Vermont Senate presides over the Senate of the U.S. state of Vermont in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor. The President ''pro tempore'' also sets the policy priorities and legislative agenda for the Senat ...
, retired during the 2016 election. Clarkson announced her campaign for a seat in the
Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...
on April 25, 2016, at a rally attended by Rebecca White, Gabrielle Lucke, and Ernie Shand. She won the Democratic nomination alongside Alice Nitka and Richard McCormack despite Campbell having endorsed Conor Kennedy in the primary and she placed first out of seven candidates in the general election. She placed first out of all candidates in the
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and 2020 elections. During her tenure in the state senate she served on the Judicial Rules, Joint Rules, and Rules committees. She served as the clerk of the Government Operations committee, and vice-chair of the Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs. The Democratic caucus voted unanimously in 2020, to have Clarkson succeed Becca Balint as the Majority Leader after Senator Brian Campion dropped out of contention.


Political positions

In 2007, the state house voted 82 to 63, with Clarkson voting in favor, against legislation to allow doctors to perform
assisted suicide Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...
on terminally ill patients. The state house voted 95 to 52, with Clarkson in favor, in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in 2009, and she later voted in favor of the successful overturning of Governor Jim Douglas' veto of the legislation. The Vermont Conservation Voters gave her a lifetime score of 96%. Clarkson and Senator McCormack sponsored legislation in 2017, which created a day in honor of abolitionist
John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
, following the white supremacist Unite the Right rally in
Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
.


Electoral history


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarkson, Alison H. 1955 births 21st-century American legislators 21st-century American women politicians Harvard College alumni Living people Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Majority leaders of the Vermont Senate Women state legislators in Vermont American theatre managers and producers Politicians from Buffalo, New York