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Philip Hoff - 1924

Sometimes history is a combination of the right person being in the right place at the right time. So it was for Philip Hoff.

The young, energetic and handsome leader was the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in 1962 and was able to capitalize on a decade of hard work by the Democratic Party in building its stature and the credibility of its candidates. Hoff also gained from the popularity of President John F. Kennedy and the unpopularity of the Republican incumbent, F. Ray Keyser Jr.

Hoff served as governor for six hyperactive years. He stepped down as governor in 1968 but ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1970 and later became chairman of the state Democratic Party. In the 1980s he returned to politics, serving in the state Senate.

Hoff, a lawyer, was born in Massachusetts, served in the Navy, and graduated from Williams College. He received his law degree from Cornell and moved to Burlington in 1951. In 1960 he won a seat in the state House. In 1962 he was elected governor.

"The people of Vermont have clearly said that they don't want to continue with the old ways, and if we fail to respond to forces at work in our society, we face a bleak future," said Hoff in his inaugural.