Former Democratic Governor Philip Hoff, who's credited with starting Vermont's transition from one of the most Republican-entrenched states in the country to one of the most liberal, has died. He was 93.
Hoff, who became the first Democrat elected governor of Vermont in more than 100 years in 1962, died on Thursday, according to The Residence at Shelburne Bay, where he had been living.
During his six years in office, Hoff helped start a process that evolved into the state's environmental movement. He also emphasized education reform and helped revamp the state's judicial system.
Hoff was briefly considered as a vice presidential candidate in 1968 but withdrew his name when it became clear his friend, Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine, was being considered. Hoff ran for the U.S. Senate in 1970, but lost to the incumbent Republican Senator Winston Prouty.
Hoff returned to the Legislature in 1982 after being elected to the state Senate. He served three, two-year terms.
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