The Vermont Senate is the

upper house An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...

of the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

, the state legislature of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-member districts, three three-member districts, and one six-member district. Each senator represents at least 20,300 citizens. Senators are elected to two-year terms and there is no limit to the number of terms that a senator may serve. As in other

s of

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and territorial legislatures and the

U.S. 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 powe ...

, the state senate of Vermont has special functions, such as confirming or rejecting

gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

appointments to executive departments, the state

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

, commissions, and boards, as well as electing members to the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

. The Vermont Senate meets at the

Vermont State House The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is the seat of the Vermont General Assembly. The current Greek Revival structure is the third building on the same site to be used as the Sta ...

in the state capital of Montpelier.

Districting and terms

Senators are elected from a total of 13 single and multi-member senate districts. The districts largely correspond to the boundaries of the state's 14 counties with adjustments to ensure equality of representation. Two small counties (

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

and Orleans) are combined into one district. Each district elects between 1 and 6 senators at-large depending on population. Vermont is the only state to have any senate districts represented by more than two senators each, as well as the only state to employ bloc voting for senate elections. Vermont is one of the 14 states where the

of its state legislature serves at a two-year cycle, rather than the more common four-year term in the majority of states.

Leadership

The

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 ...

serves as the President of the Senate, but casts a vote only if required to break a tie. In his or her absence, the President ''pro tempore'' presides over the Senate. The President ''pro tempore'' is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation from the entire body through a Senate Resolution, and is the Senate's chief leadership position. The majority and minority leaders are elected by their respective party caucuses. Committee assignments are determined by the Committee on Committees. This panel consists of the Lieutenant Governor, the President ''pro tempore'' and one member chosen by the full Senate. For several years the third member of the committee has been

Richard Mazza Richard Thomas Mazza (born September 4, 1939) is an American businessman and politician from Vermont. A Democrat, he has served as a member of the Vermont Senate since 1985, making him the body's dean, or longest-serving member. Mazza repres ...

Composition of the Senate (2021–2023 legislative session)

Current leadership

Current members

Operations

The full Senate meets Tuesday and Friday mornings only for the first seven weeks of the annual session. The Vermont Senate is aided by an administrative staff, including the Secretary of the Vermont Senate and several assistants. Since 2011, the Senate Secretary has been John H. Bloomer, a former member of the Senate. Previous secretaries include Ernest W. Gibson Jr.,

Murdock A. Campbell Murdock A. Campbell (January 16, 1889 – August 29, 1972) was a Vermont attorney and military officer who served as Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard. Early life Murdock Alexander Campbell was born in Graniteville, Vermont on Janu ...

, and Franklin S. Billings Jr.

History

Vermont had a

unicameral legislature Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...

until 1836; most of the functions normally performed by an upper legislative house were the responsibility of the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and council. The state abolished the governor's council and added a senate by constitutional amendment. The longest-serving member of the Vermont Senate was William T. Doyle; he was elected in 1968, reelected every two years until 2014, and defeated for reelection in 2016. Doyle served from January 1969 to January 2017; no other legislator in Vermont history—member of the Vermont House, member of the Vermont Senate, or member of both the House and Senate—has served longer than Doyle.

Notable members

Most individuals who have served as governor or lieutenant governor had experience in the Vermont legislature; many served in the State Senate. For more than 100 years from the 1850s to the 1960s, the

Vermont Republican Party The Vermont Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Vermont and has been active since its foundation in the 1860s. The party is the second largest in the state behind the Vermont Democratic Party, but ahead of the Vermont ...

won every election for statewide office. In keeping with the "Mountain Rule", which was created to ensure party unity, governors and lieutenant governors were from opposite sides of the

Green Mountains The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. The part of the same range that is i ...

, and were limited to two years in office. Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor were agreed upon by party leaders years in advance, and were often chosen for leadership positions in the House or Senate to groom them for statewide office.

Governors

Governors who served in the Vermont Senate include: William A. Palmer (post-governorship);

Horace Eaton Horace Eaton (June 22, 1804 – July 4, 1855) was an American Whig politician, a medical doctor, the 14th lieutenant governor of Vermont, and the 18th governor of Vermont. Biography Eaton was born in Barnard, Vermont, on June 22, 1804. He grad ...

;

Carlos Coolidge Carlos Coolidge (June 25, 1792 – August 15, 1866) was an American Whig politician, a lawyer, a Vermont State Representative, the Speaker of the Vermont House, a State Senator, and the 19th governor of Vermont. Biography Coolidge was born ...

(post-governorship); John S. Robinson;

Ryland Fletcher Ryland Fletcher (February 18, 1799 – December 19, 1885) was an American farmer, politician, the 20th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1854 to 1856, and then was the 24th governor of Vermont from October 10, 1856, to October 10, 1858. Ear ...

;

Frederick Holbrook Frederick Holbrook (February 15, 1813 – April 28, 1909) was an American farmer, businessman, and Governor of the State of Vermont. Active in politics and government, first as a Whig, and later as a Republican, he was most notable for his serv ...

;

Paul Dillingham Paul Dillingham Jr. (August 10, 1799 – July 26, 1891) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont, the 24th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1862 to 1865, and the 29th governor of Vermont from 18 ...

;

George Whitman Hendee George Whitman Hendee (November 30, 1832 – December 6, 1906) was a Vermont lawyer, banker, and politician who served as President of the Vermont State Senate, the 27th lieutenant governor, 32nd governor of Vermont, and a U.S. Representative. ...

;

John Wolcott Stewart John Wolcott Stewart (November 24, 1825October 29, 1915) was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. He served as Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives and as the 33rd governor of Vermont before serving in the United States Ho ...

;

Julius Converse Julius Converse (December 27, 1798August 16, 1885) was the 34th governor of Vermont, from 1872 to 1874 and the 17th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1850 to 1852. Early life and start of political career Julius Converse was born in Staffor ...

;

Horace Fairbanks Horace Fairbanks (March 21, 1820 – March 17, 1888) was an American politician and the 36th governor of Vermont from 1876 to 1878. Biography Fairbanks was born in Barnet, Vermont, on March 21, 1820, the third of nine children of Erastus Fairb ...

;

Redfield Proctor Redfield Proctor (June 1, 1831March 4, 1908) was a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. He served as the 37th governor of Vermont from 1878 to 1880, as Secretary of War from 1889 to 1891, and as a United States Senator for Vermont from 189 ...

;

Roswell Farnham Roswell Farnham (July 23, 1827January 5, 1903) was an American politician of the Republican Party, an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, a lawyer, and the 38th governor of Vermont. Biography Farnham was born in Boston, Mass ...

;

John L. Barstow John Lester Barstow (February 21, 1832 – June 28, 1913) was an American teacher, farmer, politician, and soldier who served as the 39th governor of Vermont, United States. Early life Barstow was born in Shelburne, Vermont, on February 21, 1832 ...

;

Ebenezer J. Ormsbee Ebenezer Jolls Ormsbee (June 8, 1834 – April 3, 1924), the 41st governor of Vermont, was a Republican Party politician, a teacher, a lawyer and an American Civil War veteran. Early life Ormsbee was born in Shoreham, Vermont, the son of J ...

; William P. Dillingham; Carroll S. Page; Levi K. Fuller;

Josiah Grout Josiah Grout Jr. (May 28, 1841July 19, 1925) was an American lawyer and politician in the US state of Vermont. Born in the British Canadian Province of Lower Canada to Vermonter parents, he served in the American Civil War as a Union Army offic ...

;

John G. McCullough John Griffith McCullough (September 16, 1835 – May 29, 1915) was an American state legislator, businessperson and attorney. He served as Attorney General of California during the Civil War, and the 49th governor of Vermont from 1902 to 190 ...

; Charles J. Bell; Fletcher D. Proctor; George H. Prouty;

John A. Mead John Abner Mead (April 20, 1841January 12, 1920) was a Vermont physician, businessman and politician who served as 47th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1908 to 1910, and the 53rd governor of Vermont, from 1910 to 1912. Biography Mead was ...

; Allen M. Fletcher; Charles W. Gates; Percival W. Clement; Redfield Proctor Jr.;

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 ...

; Stanley C. Wilson;

Charles Manley Smith Charles Manley Smith (August 3, 1868 – August 12, 1937) was an American politician from Vermont. He served as the 59th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1933 to 1935 and 63rd governor of Vermont from 1935 to 1937. Life and career Smith wa ...

; William H. Wills; Mortimer R. Proctor; Lee E. Emerson;

Joseph B. Johnson Joseph Blaine Johnson (August 29, 1893 – October 25, 1986) was an American politician who served as the 70th governor of Vermont from 1955 to 1959. Biography Born in Helsingborg, Sweden, Johnson moved with his family from Sweden to Springfie ...

;

Philip H. Hoff Philip Henderson Hoff (June 29, 1924 – April 26, 2018) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. He was most notable for his service as the List of Governors of Vermont, 73rd governor of Vermont from 1963 to 1969, the state's ...

(post-governorship);

Peter Shumlin Peter Elliott Shumlin (born March 24, 1956) is an American politician from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 81st governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017. He was first elected to the office in 2010, and was reelected to ...

; and

Phil Scott Philip Brian Scott (born August 4, 1958) is an American politician, businessman and stock car racer who has served as the 82nd governor of Vermont since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected governor in the 2016 general electi ...

(incumbent).

Members of Congress

Many of Vermont's members of 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 pow ...

and

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 ...

also served in the Vermont Senate. U.S. Senators include Samuel S. Phelps,

George F. Edmunds George Franklin Edmunds (February 1, 1828February 27, 1919) was a Republican U.S. Senator from Vermont. Before entering the U.S. Senate, he served in a number of high-profile positions, including Speaker of the Vermont House of Representative ...

, Jonathan Ross, Porter H. Dale,

Frank C. Partridge Frank C. Partridge (May 7, 1861March 2, 1943) was an American attorney, diplomat, and business executive from Vermont. A Republican, he served briefly in the United States Senate, appointed to fill the vacancy left by the death of Frank L. Gree ...

Ernest Willard Gibson Ernest Willard Gibson (December 29, 1872June 20, 1940) was an American politician and lawyer from Vermont. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, he served in both the United States House of Representatives (1923-1933) and United Stat ...

and Jim Jeffords. U.S. House members who served in the Vermont Senate include William Henry,

Ahiman Louis Miner Ahiman Louis Miner (September 23, 1804 – July 19, 1886) was an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont. Biography Miner was born in Middletown, Rutland County, Vermont, to Gideon Lewis Miner and Rachel Davison Min ...

George Tisdale Hodges George Tisdale Hodges (July 4, 1789August 9, 1860) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont. He was the first Republican member of the United States House of Representatives,although there was a similar Opposit ...

Frederick E. Woodbridge Frederick Enoch Woodbridge (August 29, 1818 – April 25, 1888) was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Vermont. He served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Vermont. Biography Woodbridge was b ...

, H. Henry Powers,

David J. Foster David Johnson Foster (June 27, 1857 – March 21, 1912) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont. Biography Foster was born in Barnet, Vermont, a son of Jacob Prentiss Foster and Matilda (Cahoon) F ...

William Hebard William Hebard (November 29, 1800October 20, 1875) was an American attorney and politician from Vermont. He served in several elected offices, and was most notable for representing Vermont in the United States House of Representatives for two te ...

Andrew Tracy Andrew Tracy (December 15, 1797 – October 28, 1868) was an American politician, teacher and lawyer. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont. Early life Tracy was born in Hartford, Vermont, to James Tracy and Mercy Richmond Tracy. He ...

William W. Grout William Wallace Grout (May 24, 1836October 7, 1902) was an American politician and lawyer. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont. Biography Grout was born in Compton in Lower Canada (now Quebec), the son of Josiah and Sophronia (Aye ...

, Kittredge Haskins,

Frank Plumley Frank Plumley (December 17, 1844 – April 30, 1924) was an American politician and lawyer from Vermont. He served as United States district attorney and U.S. Representative from Vermont. Early life and career Plumley was born in Eden, V ...

Alvah Sabin Alvah Sabin (October 23, 1793 – January 22, 1885) was an American politician and clergyman. He served as a United States representative from Vermont. Biography Sabin was born in Georgia, Vermont, to Benjamin Sabin and Polly McMaster Sabin, and ...

Homer Elihu Royce Homer Elihu Royce (June 14, 1819 – April 24, 1891) was an American lawyer, politician and jurist. Early life Royce was born in Berkshire, Vermont, the son of Elihu Marvin and Sophronia (Parker) Royce. His uncle Stephen Royce who served as V ...

Worthington Curtis Smith Worthington Curtis Smith (April 23, 1823 – January 2, 1894) was an American politician and railroad president. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont, and was the son of John Smith, of Vermont, a U.S. Representative from Vermont. Ear ...

Bradley Barlow Bradley Barlow (May 12, 1814 – November 6, 1889) was a nineteenth-century banker and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont. Early life and career Barlow was born in Fairfield, Vermont, son of Colonel Bradley and Deborah ...

Augustus Young Augustus Young (born 1943 in Cork, Ireland) is an Irish poet. Biography Young worked in London as an epidemiologist and adviser to health authorities, and now lives in France. His first collections of poems, ''Survival'' (1969) and ''On Loan ...

, Richard W. Mallary,

Peter Plympton Smith Peter Plympton Smith (born October 31, 1945) is an American educator and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from the U.S. state of Vermont, the 76th lieutenant governor of Vermont, and an education ...

and

Peter Welch Peter Francis Welch (born May 2, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician who is a United States senator-elect from Vermont, and the current U.S. representative for since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been a major figure i ...

(incumbent).

Other notable members

Other notable members of the Vermont Senate include: *

Jefferson P. Kidder Jefferson Parish Kidder (June 4, 1815 – October 2, 1883) was an American lawyer and jurist. He served as the non-voting delegate from the Dakota Territory to the United States House of Representatives. Kidder was the only Democratic lieutenant ...

(1847–1849): U.S. Congressman from

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

; Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Dakota Territory. * Lucius E. Chittenden (1856–1860): author and government official. * Daniel Kellogg (1865–1866):

Adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the Vermont Militia. *

Hoyt Henry Wheeler Hoyt Henry Wheeler (August 30, 1833 – November 19, 1906) was an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court and later a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont. Education and career Whee ...

(1868–1869): judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, ...

. *

William H. Gilmore William Harrison Gilmore (October 17, 1839 – April 18, 1910) was a Vermont political and military figure. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives, the Vermont State Senate and as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia. Biography ...

(1882–1883):

of the Vermont Militia. * William Wells (1886–1887): recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. *

Edna Beard Edna Louisa Beard (July 25, 1877 – September 18, 1928) was the first woman legislator in Vermont; she was the first woman elected to the Vermont House of Representatives, and the first woman elected to the Vermont Senate. A native of Illinois ...

(1923–1925): Vermont's first female state House member (1921 to 1923) and first female state senator; also the first woman to hold a leadership position in the Vermont legislature as Chair of the Senate Committee on Libraries. * Consuelo N. Bailey (1930–1931): Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1955 to 1957; first woman in the United States to be a lieutenant governor. *

James L. Oakes James Lowell Oakes (February 21, 1924 – October 13, 2007) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for ...

(1961–1965): judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate ju ...

. * David Zuckerman (born 1971): Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, 2017-2021. *

Becca Balint Rebecca A. "Becca" Balint (born May 4, 1968) is an American politician who is a member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district as a member of the Democratic Party. She served as a member of ...

(2015–present): first openly gay woman to serve in the Vermont Senate and first openly gay woman to hold a legislative leadership position as Senate Majority Leader.

References

External links

Vermont General AssemblyProject Vote Smart - State Senate of Vermont

Senate Map and Statistics 2012 Reapportionment
{{Authority control Politics of Vermont State upper houses in the United States