Governor of Vermont

Governor of Vermont
Coat of Arms of Vermont
Incumbent Peter Shumlin since January 06, 2011, Democratic & Working Families Party
Style	The Honourable
Residence	The Pavilion
Term length	Two years, no term limit
Inaugural holder	Thomas Chittenden
Formation	1791; Constitution of Vermont
Succession	Every two years, unless re-elected.

Detail of The Pavilion in Montpelier, location of the Governor of Vermont's working offices.

The Governor of Vermont is the governor (chief executive, head of government) of the U.S. state of Vermont. The governor is elected in even numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years; Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every two years, instead of every four. There is no limit on the number of terms a governor can serve.^[1]

The incumbent governor is Peter Shumlin. In his election he was endorsed by the Vermont Democratic and Working Families Party. He is the 81st governor of the State of Vermont. (Two others, Thomas Chittenden and Moses Robinson, served as governor of the Vermont Republic before Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791.)

The governor's working offices are located in The Pavilion in the state capital of Montpelier, Vermont. The governor's ceremonial office, used during the legislative session of the General Assembly, is located in the Vermont State House, also in Montpelier.

The Constitution of Vermont details the powers of the governor:

To commission or appoint all officers ("except where provision is, or shall be, otherwise made by law or this Frame of Government")
To fill all vacancies in office until the office can be filled in the manner directed by state constitution or by state law
To correspond with other States
To "transact business with officers of government, civil and military"
To "prepare such business as may appear necessary, to lay before the General Assembly.
To grant pardons and remit fines, except for cases of treason, in which the Governor may only grant reprieves until the end of the next session of the General Assembly, and for cases of impeachment, in which the Governor cannot grant either reprieves or pardons
To "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" and "expedite the execution of such measures as may be resolved upon by the General Assembly"
To "draw upon the Treasury for such sums as may be appropriated by the General Assembly"
To "lay embargoes, or prohibit the exportation of any commodity" for up to 30 days during a recess of the General Assembly
To "grant such licenses as shall be directed by law"
To call special sessions of the General Assembly when necessary
To be the "Captain-General and Commander-in-Chief" of the "forces of the State" (the Vermont State Guard and Vermont National Guard), although the Governor cannot "command in person, in time of war, or insurrection, unless by the advice and consent of the Senate, and no longer than they shall approve thereof"

There is a separately-elected Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, who assumes the powers of the Governor in case there is a vacancy in the office of Governor or the Governor was unable to serve. The Lieutenant Governor is also the Lieutenant-General of the "forces of the State."

References

^ Thegreenpapers.com

Doyle, William T. "The Vermont Political Tradition and Those Who Helped Make It." Doyle Publisher: 1987. ISBN 0-9615486-1-4.
Duffy, John J., et al. The Vermont Encyclopedia. University Press of New England: 2003. ISBN 1-58465-086-9.
Potash, P. Jeffrey, et al. Freedom and Unity: A History of Vermont. Vermont Historical Society: 2004. ISBN 0-934720-49-5.

External links

v t e Chief executives of the United States

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v t e Governors of Vermont

Chittenden Robinson Chittenden Chittenden Brigham Tichenor I. Smith Tichenor Galusha M. Chittenden Galusha Skinner Van Ness Butler Crafts Palmer Jennison Paine Mattocks Slade Eaton Coolidge Williams E. Fairbanks Robinson Royce Fletcher Hall E. Fairbanks Holbrook G. Smith P. Dillingham Page Washburn Hendee Stewart Converse Peck H. Fairbanks R. Proctor Sr. Farnham Barstow Pingree Ormsbee W.P. Dillingham Page Fuller Woodbury Grout E. Smith Stickney McCullough Bell F. Proctor Prouty Mead Fletcher Gates Graham Clement Hartness R. Proctor Jr. Billings Weeks Wilson C. Smith Aiken Wills M. Proctor Gibson Arthur Emerson Johnson Stafford Keyser Hoff Davis Salmon Snelling Kunin Snelling Dean Douglas Shumlin

Italics indicate acting governor

Governor of Vermont

References

See also

External links

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