19 Facts About Jim Douglas

James Holley Douglas was born on June 21,1951 and is an American politician from the state of Vermont.

On January 6,2011, Jim Douglas became an executive in residence at Middlebury College where he taught a 24 student course titled Vermont Government and Politics.

Jim Douglas is the interim director of the Vermont Historical Society.

Jim Douglas currently serves on the Governors' Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC.

Jim Douglas graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, where he had been active in the College Republicans, eventually becoming chairman.

In November 1972, Jim Douglas was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives, where he became the House Majority Leader during his third two-year term at the age of 25.

Jim Douglas left the Vermont General Assembly in 1979, afterwards serving as a top aide to Governor Richard A Snelling.

Jim Douglas was elected Secretary of State in November 1980, a post which he held until 1992.

Jim Douglas accepted, and served as deputy state treasurer from November 1994 until beginning his term as treasurer in January 1995.

Jim Douglas won reelection to a second two-year term in 2004, defeating Democrat Peter Clavelle, 59 to 38 percent.

Many pundits believed that Jim Douglas was the only Republican who could possibly defeat Sanders, and his decision to run for governor effectively handed the open Senate seat to Sanders.

On May 22,2007, Governor Jim Douglas signed a landmark civil rights bill banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity by employers, financial institutions, housing, public accommodations, and other contexts.

Jim Douglas decided to stand for re-election in 2008 and ran unopposed in the Republican primary on September 9,2008.

Jim Douglas became the first governor to meet with President Barack Obama in the White House on February 2,2009.

Jim Douglas served as Chairman of the National Governors Association from 2009 to 2010.

Democrats in the Vermont House and Senate overrode the veto with a supermajority the next day, marking the first time Jim Douglas had been overridden during his tenure.

In early 2010, Jim Douglas became the first American political leader to be appointed to the National Order of Quebec, receiving the insignia of an Officer of the order from Premier Jean Charest at a ceremony at the National Assembly of Quebec.

Jim Douglas was recognized for strengthening Vermont's historical bonds with Quebec and making improved relations with the province a priority of his governorship.

On July 29,2015, Jim Douglas was named the interim director of the Vermont Historical Society.