Richard Arkwright Snelling (February 18, 1927August 13, 1991) was an American businessman and politician. He was most notable for his service as the 76th and 78th

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 1977 to 1985 and from January 10, 1991, until his death. A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Snelling was educated in Allentown and served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

at the end of

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 opposing ...

and during the post-war occupation of Germany. He graduated 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 high ...

in 1948 and embarked on a business career, working for companies in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. After settling in Vermont, he founded Shelburne Industries, a maker of ski racks and other ski equipment. He also became active in politics as a

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 ...

and served a term in the Vermont House of Representatives (1959–1961), in addition to running unsuccessful campaigns for 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 ...

(1956), lieutenant governor (1964), and

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 ...

(1966). In 1972, Snelling was again elected to the Vermont House. He was reelected in 1974, and served from 1973 to 1977. In his second term, Snelling was chosen to serve as the majority leader. In 1976, Snelling was the successful Republican nominee for governor. He was reelected three times, and served from 1977 to 1985. In 1986, Snelling was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for 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 was defeated by incumbent Democrat

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, ...

. In 1990, he was the successful Republican nominee for governor. He was inaugurated in January 1991, and served until his death. Snelling's family was also prominent in Vermont politics; his wife Barbara served as lieutenant governor and a member of the state senate. His daughter Diane succeeded her mother as a state senator. In addition, his son Mark was an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor in 2010.

Early life and education

The son of chemist Walter O. Snelling and Helen Marjorie Gahring, Snelling was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on February 18, 1927. He was educated in public schools of Allentown and graduated from

Allentown High School Allentown High School is a public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from three communities in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Upper Freehold Regional School District. The scho ...

in 1944, completing the requirements six months ahead of his classmates as part of an accelerated program for young men intending to enter the military during

. During his high school years, Snelling was a member of the National Honor Society, as well as the school's track, swimming, and wrestling teams. He briefly attended the

University of Havana The University of Havana or (UH, ''Universidad de La Habana'') is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of the Republic of Cuba. Founded on January 5, 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the firs ...

and

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epi ...

before transferring to

. While at Lehigh, Snelling played football and was a member of the wrestling team. While at Harvard, Snelling was on the dean's list, played on the varsity football team, was president of the Harvard Conservative League, and taught swimming and aquatic safety.

Career

Military service

In October 1944, Snelling enlisted in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

Reserve. When the program was discontinued in early 1945, he transferred to the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps. In May 1945, Snelling entered Army active duty at the

New Cumberland Defense Depot The New Cumberland Defense Depot is a United States Department of Defense military base located a short distance south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in Fairview Township, York County, Pennsylvania. It is adjacent to the Capital City Airport and a ...

. He served at the end of

and in the post-war

occupation of Germany Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Franc ...

, and carried out assignments as an investigator and information bulletin editor. He attained the rank of technician fifth grade and was discharged at Fort Dix,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

in October 1946. He then returned to Harvard, where he received a bachelor's degree in government and economics in 1948. For several years after moving to Vermont, Snelling was active in the

United States Coast Guard Auxiliary The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGA, USCGAUX, CGAux, or USCG Aux) is the civilian uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the military organization, unit on 23 June 1939, as the United Sta ...

where he served as an officer. In 1956, Snelling was elected vice commander of Burlington Flotilla 802, and was appointed as the flotilla's inspector of facilities.

Business

After graduating from college, Snelling was employed at Joseph Breck & Sons, a

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

wholesaler of kitchen and garden supplies. Within a year, he had advanced from working in the company's warehouse to assistant to the company's president. He then moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, where he led a venture to take over the bankrupt Henry A. Dreer, Inc., a retail and wholesale distributor of plants and seeds. Snelling, his management team, and the Dreer employees who remained soon restored the company to profitability. In 1953, Snelling moved to Vermont to take the position of assistant to the president of Colonial Motors, a

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 ...

car dealership. In 1955, Snelling became manager of Green Mountain Television Corporation, an early

Cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

proponent, of which he became president. A longtime resident of Shelburne, in 1957, Snelling founded Shelburne Industries, a maker of wire and metal products that later specialized in ski racks and other ski equipment. The venture proved successful and made Snelling a millionaire. In addition to heading Shelburne Industries, he served on the boards of directors for several other companies. His business affiliations include the Young Presidents' Association, the Chief Executives Organization, and the World Business Council. He was director of Ski Industries of America and Associated Industries of Vermont.

Political career

In 1956, Snelling ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the

. Snelling served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1959 to 1961. He was a delegate to Republican National Conventions in 1960, 1968, 1980. In addition, Snelling served as chair of the Chittenden County Republican Committee and a member of Vermont Republican State Executive Committee from 1963 to 1966. Snelling was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in 1964, and for governor in 1966. In 1972, he was again elected to the Vermont House, and he served from 1973 to 1977. During his final term, Snelling was the House's majority leader.

Governorship

In 1976, Snelling was elected

. He was reelected three timesin 1978, 1980, and 1982and served until January 1985. During his governorship, Snelling worked to protect the environment by opposing a plan to allow uranium mining in Vermont and barring the sale of phosphate detergents, arguing that they pollute water by increasing algae growth. He was also commended for using his business experience to promote economic growth attracting industry to the state. Snelling advocated for the New Federalism of President Ronald Reagan because Snelling believed that government worked best when it remained close to the people. However, Snelling objected when Reagan's plan to turn several federal programs over to the states did not include federal financing and imposed budget cuts on the states. Snelling was not a candidate for reelection in 1984. He was the Republican 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 powe ...

in 1986 and lost to incumbent

. After leaving office, Snelling took over active management of his business and financial interests. In addition, he sailed frequently on a yacht he purchased after leaving the governorship. Snelling also traveled extensively, including a 1989 trip to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

Return to governorship

In 1990, Snelling ran again for governor, intending to use his business acumen and previous gubernatorial service to address state fiscal problems caused by the post-Reagan

economic recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by variou ...

. He won a fifth two-year term, and devoted most of his effort to balancing the state budget and restoring its financial health. As recounted by Ralph G. Wright, the Democrat then serving as

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

, at the beginning of his term, Snelling took the unprecedented step of visiting the speaker's office unannounced to ask for a meeting with Wright so they could craft budget cuts and tax increases to address the budget deficit. 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 ...

responded to Snelling's initiative by negotiating and enacting the largest tax increase in Vermont's history, more than $90 million, while also imposing deep cuts in state programs.

Death and legacy

Snelling died of a heart attack at his home in

Shelburne, Vermont Shelburne is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located along the shores of Lake Champlain, Shelburne's town center lies approximately south of the city center of Burlington, the largest city in the state of Vermont. As of the ...

on August 13, 1991. He was succeeded by

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, 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 ...

. Snelling was interred at Shelburne Village Cemetery. The Snelling Center for Government at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...

was named in honor of Richard and Barbara Snelling.

Family

On June 14, 1947, he married

Barbara Weil Barbara Weil, (1933 in Chicago, Illinois – 19 January 2018 in Port de Andratx, Mallorca) was an artist from the United States, who showed relationships between painting, sculpture, contemporary architecture and the human being in unusual ways i ...

. They were the parents of four children—Jacqueline, Mark, Andrew, and Diane. After Snelling's death, his wife served as lieutenant governor and as a member of the

. His daughter Diane B. Snelling served in the Vermont Senate after being appointed to succeed her mother in 2002. She resigned in 2016 to accept appointment as head of the Vermont Natural Resources Board. Snelling's son Mark was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor.Associated Press
For Lt. Gov., Scott Wins GOP Nod; Howard Wins Dem Nomination
published by Vermont Public Radio, August 25, 2010

References

External links

* * , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Snelling, Richard A. 1927 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American politicians American Unitarians Republican Party governors of Vermont Harvard University alumni Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives People from Shelburne, Vermont Politicians from Allentown, Pennsylvania Snelling family United States Army non-commissioned officers Burials in Vermont United States Army personnel of World War II United States Coast Guard Auxiliary officers