Douglas, James H. (James Holley), 1951-

<p>James H. Douglas was elected Governor of Vermont in 2002 and was re-elected in 2004, 2006 and 2008. During his tenure, he focused on strengthening the state’s economy, reducing the cost of living in Vermont and protecting the state’s natural environment. He advanced groundbreaking health reforms and worked to strengthen the relationship between Vermont and Quebec and the other Canadian provinces. While governor, Douglas served as the chairman of the National Governors Association and in February 2010 was appointed by President Obama as co-chair of the Council of Governors.</p>

<p>Douglas was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives after graduating from Middlebury College in 1972. He became Majority Leader in his third term at the age of 25.</p>

<p>The former Governor was elected Secretary of State in 1980, a post he would hold for 12 years. He was elected State Treasurer in 1994. During Douglas’s eight years as Treasurer, Vermont’s bond rating became the best in New England and among the highest in the nation.</p>

<p>Jim Douglas is a member of BPC’s Governors’ Council and Commission on Retirement Security and Personal Savings. He served as governor of Vermont from 2003 to 2011.</p>

<p>As governor, Douglas focused on strengthening the state’s economy, making Vermont more affordable, and protecting Vermont’s natural environment. In 2003, Douglas launched the Blueprint for Health as the state’s vision for transforming Vermont’s health care system through a focus on chronic disease prevention and management resources.</p>

<p>Douglas signed a comprehensive package of health reforms in 2006 designed to expand access to coverage, improve the quality and performance of the health care system, and contain costs. The state’s uninsured population shrank from 9.8 percent in 2005 to 7.6 percent in 2008.</p>

<p>James Holley Douglas (born June 21, 1951) is an American politician from the state of Vermont. A Republican, he was elected the 80th governor of the state in 2002 and was reelected three times with a majority of the vote. On August 27, 2009, Douglas announced that he would not seek re-election for a fifth term in 2010. He left the office in January 2011.</p>

<p>On January 6, 2011, Douglas became an executive in residence at Middlebury College where he taught a 24 student course titled Vermont Government and Politics. Douglas is the interim director of the Vermont Historical Society.</p>

<p>Douglas currently serves on the Governors’ Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC.</p>

<p>Jim Douglas was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 1972—the same year he graduated from Middlebury College, and his influence as a legislator increased quickly as he rose to the position of assistant majority leader in his second term and majority leader in his third term at the age of 25. Douglas retired from the state legislature in 1979 to become a top aide to Governor Richard Snelling. In 1980, he was elected Secretary of State, a post he held until 1993, winning reelection five times and receiving the nomination of both parties on three occasions. In 1994 Douglas was elected State Treasurer, receiving the nomination of both parties and winning with 94 percent of the vote.</p>

<p>Elected Governor in 2002 and reelected in 2004, 2006, and 2008, Douglas focused on strengthening the state’s economy, making Vermont more affordable, and protecting the state’s natural environment. He is past chair of the National Governors Association (2009-10) and the Council of State Governments as well as past chairman of the New England Governor’s Conference and the Coalition of Northeastern Governors. He became the first governor to meet with Barack Obama following Obama’s swearing in as President in 2009.</p>

<p>Over the course of his career, Douglas received more votes than any other person in Vermont history, a testament to his bipartisan appeal.</p>