Richard Walker Mallary (February 21, 1929 – September 27, 2011) was an American businessman and politician. He served for three years as a U.S. Representative from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

and was the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nominee for

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, losing narrowly to

Patrick Leahy Patrick Joseph Leahy (; born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who is the senior United States senator from Vermont and serves as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, ...

. He died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

on September 27, 2011.

Biography

Mallary was born in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, th ...

on February 21, 1929, and was the son of attorney R. DeWitt Mallary and Gertrude (Robinson) Mallary. He was educated at Bradford Academy in

Bradford, Vermont Bradford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,790 at the 2020 census. Bradford is located on the county's eastern border, bordering both the Connecticut River and New Hampshire, and is a commercial center fo ...

, and received an A.B. degree from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

in 1949. Mallary operated a dairy farm in

Fairlee, Vermont Fairlee is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 988 at the 2020 census. It includes the village of Ely. Fairlee is home to Lake Morey, which claims to have the longest ice skating trail in the United States. Histo ...

from 1950 to 1970, where he was subsequently elected chairman of the town Board of Selectmen, serving from 1951 to 1953. His mother served terms in both 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 are ...

and Vermont Senate, and he followed her into state politics by running successfully for the state House in 1960. He served from 1961 to 1969, advanced to chairman of the appropriations committee and held the position of

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

from 1965 to 1969. In the House Mallary was recognized as one of the "Young Turks," the group of legislators who crossed party lines to advocate for progressive policies and the modernizing of Vermont's state government. He was

Trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

and

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

Vermont State Colleges The Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) is the system of public colleges in the U.S. state of Vermont. It was created by act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1961. There are presently four colleges in the VSCS consortium, they are: Castleton ...

from 1962 to 1965. Mallary served as

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

of the Vermont Legislative Council from 1965 to 1967, and as a delegate to the 1968

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

which nominated Richard M. Nixon for President. He served as vice chairman of the Vermont Governor's Committee on Administrative Coordination in 1969. He was a member of the Vermont Senate from 1969 to 1971. Mallary served as Vermont Secretary of Administration in 1971, in the cabinet of Governor Deane C. Davis. Mallary was elected as a

to the Ninety-second Congress, filling the vacancy caused when Robert T. Stafford resigned to accept appointment to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

. Mallary was re-elected to a full term in the Ninety-third Congress, and thus served from January 7, 1972 to January 3, 1975. He was, as the

nominee, an unsuccessful candidate for election to the

, narrowly losing to

by a margin of 49.5%–46.4%. Mallary was Vice President of the Farm Credit Bank in

from 1975 to 1977. He was Vermont's Secretary of Administration again from 1977 to 1980, in the first administration of Governor Richard A. Snelling. He served as vice president of the Central Vermont Public Service Corp. from 1980 to 1983, chairman of the board of a heating company from 1984 to 1985, and president of the Vermont Electric Power Company from 1986 to 1994. He later resided in

Brookfield, Vermont Brookfield is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. It was created by Vermont charter on August 5, 1781. The population was 1,244 at the 2020 census. Brookfield is best known for its floating bridge which spans Sunset Lake buoyed b ...

. From 1999 to 2001 Mallary served again in the Vermont House of Representatives. He voted for Vermont's Civil Unions law in 2000 even though he represented a conservative district which opposed the legislation. That fall he ran for reelection unsuccessfully as an independent. He ran again unsuccessfully in 2002. In 2003, Mallary served as Vermont's tax commissioner, an appointed sub-cabinet position, in the administration of Republican Governor

Jim Douglas James Holley Douglas (born June 21, 1951) is an American politician from the state of Vermont. A Republican, he served the 80th governor of Vermont from 2003 to 2011. On August 27, 2009, Douglas announced that he would not seek re-election fo ...

. In retirement Mallary continued to serve in local office including chairman of the town planning commission and town meeting moderator. He was also an advocate of "death with dignity" legislation. In his later years he was ill with incurable prostate cancer. He died in Brookfield on September 27, 2011. In 2012 members of his family made public the fact that Mallary had taken his life as a result of his illness.

Family

Mallary's first wife was Mary Harper Coxe. They had four children—Richard, Anne, Elizabeth and Sarah. They divorced in 1974, and in 1979 he married Jeannie (Loud) Brownell, with whom he had three stepchildren—Jonathan, Lydia and Hayden. His nephew Peter Mallary served in the Vermont House and as chairman of the

Vermont Democratic Party The Vermont Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Vermont. From the time of the American Civil War until the 1960s, Vermont was an almost exclusively Republican state, with Republicans dominating Vermo ...

.Susie Steimle, WCAX-TV
Right to Die, Part 2
February 2, 2012

Electoral history

*1972 special election for U.S. House (

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

) (January 7, 1972) **Richard W. Mallary (R), 55.8% **J. William O'Brien (D), 37.6% **Doris Lake (Liberty Union), 4.7% **Anthony N. Doria (Independent), 1.9% *1972 election for U.S. House (

) **Richard W. Mallary (R), 65.0% ** William H. Meyer (D), 34.97% **Blank or scattered, .03% *

election for U.S. Senate (

, Class 3) **

(D), 49.5% **Richard W. Mallary (R), 46.4%

References

Sources

Agency of Administration
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallary, Richard Walker 1929 births 2011 deaths Republican Party Vermont state senators Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Dartmouth College alumni Politicians from Springfield, Massachusetts People from Fairlee, Vermont Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont 20th-century American politicians American politicians who committed suicide