Harold John Arthur (February 9, 1904 – July 19, 1971) was the 68th

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

from 1950 to 1951. He also served as the 64th

lieutenant governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the governor. The Vermont Lieutenant Governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state or incapacitated, presi ...

from 1949 to 1950.

Early life, education, and family

Arthur was born in

Whitehall, New York Whitehall is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 4,035 at the 2000 census. The Town of Whitehall contains a village also named Whitehall. Hi ...

, on February 9, 1904, and raised in

Addison County Addison County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury (town), Vermont, Middle ...

and

Rutland County Rutland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,572, making it the second-most populous county in Vermont. Its county seat and most populous municipality is the city of Rutland. H ...

Vermont Vermont () is a 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 to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. He graduated from Albany Business College and worked for the

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

National Bank and in other businesses before settling in

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

. He was married to Mary C. (Alafat) Arthur (1904–2004), with whom he practiced law. They were the parents of a daughter, Portia.

Career

From 1927 to 1929, Arthur worked as an assistant to Governor

John E. Weeks John Eliakim Weeks (June 14, 1853 – September 10, 1949) was an American politician from Vermont. He served as the List of Governors of Vermont, 61st governor of Vermont from 1927 to 1931. Early life Weeks was born in Salisbury, Vermont, on Jun ...

. From 1928 to 1940 he was associated with

Warren R. Austin Warren Robinson Austin (November 12, 1877 – December 25, 1962) was an American politician and diplomat who served as United States Senator from Vermont and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. A native of Highgate Center, Vermont, Austin wa ...

, working as a clerk and stenographer and then studying law in Austin's office. He obtained a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

from

La Salle Extension University La Salle Extension University (LSEUDe Sola, Ralph (1981). ''Abbreviations dictionary.'' Elsevier, ), also styled as LaSalle Extension University,The university styled its name as both "La Salle" and "LaSalle" in print mediahttp://aycu21.webshots.c ...

, and then became an attorney in Burlington.John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, Ralph H. Orth (2003). ''The Vermont Encyclopedia.'' UPNE, Arthur also worked for 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 ...

for more than twenty years, rising to the position of chief clerk and parliamentarian, where he served from 1939 to 1949. He was Clerk of the House from 1939 to 1943, and again from 1947 to 1949; during his

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

military service, the position was held by Clifton G. Parker. A member of the

Vermont National Guard The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green Mo ...

beginning in the 1928, Arthur served in

and attained the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

as a Judge Advocate General before retiring in 1959. Arthur was the successful

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 ...

candidate for lieutenant governor in 1948, and served from 1949 to 1950. Arthur became governor when

Ernest W. Gibson Jr. Ernest William Gibson Jr. (March 6, 1901 – November 4, 1969) was an American attorney, politician, and judge. He served briefly as an appointed United States Senator, as the 67th governor of Vermont, and as a federal judge. Born in Brattlebo ...

resigned to become a

federal judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A US federal judge is appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate in accordance with Article 3 of ...

. He did not seek election to a full term in 1950, running unsuccessfully for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and losing the

primary to Winston L. Prouty, whom Arthur had defeated for the lieutenant governor nomination in 1948. In 1954, Arthur ran unsuccessfully to be the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, losing the primary to Consuelo N. Bailey. Governor Arthur ran again for Congress in 1958, winning the Republican nomination and losing the general election to

William H. Meyer William Henry Meyer (December 29, 1914 – December 16, 1983) was an American politician and Member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont. Biography Born in Philadelphia, he attended the public schools of the city and gra ...

, who became the first Democratic candidate to win a statewide or national office in Vermont since the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s.

Death and legacy

Arthur died of cancer at

Plattsburgh Air Force Base Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km²) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burlingto ...

Hospital on July 19, 1971. He was a Unitarian, and is interred at a mausoleum in Burlington's

Lakeview Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a Private property, privately owned, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Rural cemetery, garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland, Ohio, East Cleveland ...

.Marquis Who's Who
Who Was Who in American History -- The Military
1975, page 17

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Harold J. 1904 births 1971 deaths Republican Party governors of Vermont Lieutenant Governors of Vermont Vermont lawyers United States Army personnel of World War II National Guard (United States) officers Politicians from Burlington, Vermont La Salle Extension University alumni People from Whitehall, New York 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians Vermont National Guard personnel Burials at Lakeview Cemetery (Burlington, Vermont) Albany Business College alumni

Early life, education, and family

Career

Death and legacy

See also

References

External links