Madeleine Kunin

Madeleine Kunin
Name	Madeleine Kunin
Caption	Official portrait
Order	77th
Office	Governor of Vermont
Lieutenant	Howard B. Dean
Term start	January 10, 1985
Term end	January 10, 1991
Predecessor	Richard A. Snelling
Successor	Richard A. Snelling
Order2	75th
Office2	Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
Governor2	Richard A. Snelling
Term start2	January 6, 1983
Term end2	January 10, 1985
Predecessor2	Peter Plympton Smith
Successor2	Howard B. Dean
Office3	United States Deputy Secretary of Education
President3	Bill Clinton
Term start3	1993
Term end3	1996
Predecessor3	David T. Kearns
Successor3	Marshall S. Smith
Office4	United States Ambassador to Switzerland
President4	Bill Clinton
Term start4	1996
Term end4	1999
Predecessor4	M. Larry Lawrence
Successor4	J. Richard Fredericks
Office5	Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
Term start5	1973
Term end5	1979
Birth name	Madeleine May Kunin
Birth date	28 September 1933
Birth place	Zürich, Switzerland
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Arthur Kunin (m. 1959; died 2006), John W. Hennessey (m. 2006)
Education	University of Massachusetts Amherst (BA), Columbia University (MA), University of Vermont (MS)

Madeleine Kunin is a Swiss-born American diplomat, author, and politician who made history as the first woman to be elected Governor of Vermont and the first Jewish woman to be elected governor of any U.S. state. A member of the Democratic Party, her three terms in office from 1985 to 1991 were marked by a focus on environmental protection, education reform, and women's rights. Following her gubernatorial service, she held significant roles in the Clinton administration, including United States Deputy Secretary of Education and United States Ambassador to Switzerland.

Early life and education

Born in Zürich, she immigrated to the United States with her family in 1940 to escape the growing threat of Nazi Germany. She was raised in Forest Hills, New York City, and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in history. She later received a Master of Arts in journalism from Columbia University and a second master's degree in English literature from the University of Vermont. Her early career included work as a journalist for the *Burlington Free Press* and teaching at the University of Vermont and Trinity College.

Political career

Her political career began with her election to the Vermont House of Representatives in 1972, where she served three terms representing Burlington. She was an advocate for land use planning, child care initiatives, and governmental ethics. In 1978, she made an unsuccessful bid for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont but won the office four years later in 1982, serving under Republican Governor Richard A. Snelling. This position made her the first woman to hold statewide office in Vermont and provided a platform for her successful gubernatorial campaign.

Governor of Vermont

Elected in 1984, she was inaugurated as the 77th Governor of Vermont in January 1985. Major legislative achievements during her administration included the groundbreaking Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund, the Growth Management Act, and significant increases in funding for public education. She appointed a record number of women to state government positions, including to the Vermont Supreme Court. After winning re-election in 1986 and 1988, she chose not to seek a fourth term in 1990, leaving office with high approval ratings.

Post-gubernatorial career

In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed her as the United States Deputy Secretary of Education, where she worked under Secretary Richard Riley. From 1996 to 1999, she served as the United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, leveraging her fluency in German and personal history. After returning from her diplomatic post, she founded the Institute for Sustainable Communities and served as a Marsh Scholar Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont. She is also the author of several books, including *Living a Political Life* and *The New Feminist Agenda*.

Personal life

She married physician Arthur Kunin in 1959; the couple had four children before his death in 2006. In 2006, she married businessman John W. Hennessey. She has been open about her identity as a Jewish refugee and how it shaped her commitment to public service and social justice. Her brother, Edgar May, served in the Vermont House of Representatives and was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.

Legacy and honors

She is widely recognized as a pioneering figure for women in American politics. Her papers are archived at the University of Vermont. She has received numerous honors, including the Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and honorary degrees from institutions like Middlebury College and Dartmouth College. The Madeleine M. Kunin Public Service Award is presented annually by the University of Vermont to a graduating senior, cementing her legacy of inspiring civic engagement.

Category:1933 births Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Switzerland Category:American people of Swiss-Jewish descent Category:Democratic Party governors of Vermont Category:Living people Category:University of Vermont alumni