Lee E. Emerson

Lee E. Emerson

Lee Earle Emerson (born December 19, 1898 in Hardwick , Caledonia County , Vermont , † May 21, 1976 in Berlin , Vermont) was an American politician and governor of the state of Vermont from 1951 to 1955 .

Early years and political advancement

Lee Emerson attended the Barton Academy until 1917. His training was interrupted by the First World War, in which he participated as a soldier. After the war, he continued his education at Syracuse University , where he graduated in 1921. After a subsequent law degree at the Law School of George Washington University , he was admitted to the bar in 1926. Then he began to work in Barton in his new profession.

Emerson was a member of the Republican Party . He held a number of local offices in his hometown of Barton. Between 1933 and 1937 he was a district attorney in Orleans County . Between 1939 and 1943 he was a member of the House of Representatives from Vermont and at times speaker of this chamber. After that he was a member of the State Senate for two years until 1945 , of which he became President. Between 1945 he was Deputy Governor of Governor Mortimer R. Proctor .

Vermont governor

In 1950, Emerson was elected as the new governor of his state with a clear majority against the Democrat J. Edward Moran. After a re-election in 1952, he was able to remain in office between January 4, 1951 and January 6, 1955. A controversy arose during his tenure over the dismissal of a University of Vermont professor for alleged communist leanings. Governor Emerson also commissioned a study of the suitability of a pipeline to supply his state with gas. Another study was to investigate whether there was racial discrimination in Vermont. In the area of ​​environmental protection, a law on afforestation helped the municipalities to create new forests.

Emerson's grave in Barton, Vermont

After the end of his governorship, Emerson returned to practice as a lawyer. In 1958 he applied unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate . Two years later, an attempt to be elected to the United States House of Representatives also failed . Governor Emerson died in May 1976. He and his wife Dorcas Ball had two daughters.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 4, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Lee E. Emerson of the National Governors Association (English)

• Lee E. Emerson in the database of Find a Grave (English)