Philip H. Hoff

1924 - 2018

Philip H. Hoff

Shelburne - Former Governor Philip Henderson Hoff died April 26, 2018, at his Shelburne home, at age 93. He was born in the Village of Turners Falls, Massachusetts, on June 29, 1924, to Olaf Hoff, Sr., and Agnes Hoff. He was educated in his local public schools and entered Williams College in 1942. After his freshman year, he enlisted in the U. S. Navy, where he saw World War II action in the South Pacific Theater as a submariner aboard the USS Sea Dog. After the war, Hoff returned to Williams, graduated in 1948, and married Joan Brower. After earning his law degree from Cornell Law School in 1951, he and Joan moved to Burlington where he joined the law firm of Black and Wilson and where they raised their four children, Susan, Dagny, Andrea and Gretchen.

Hoff's political career began with an unsuccessful run for the Ward 6 Burlington Board of Aldermen seat in 1959. In 1960, he was elected as the city's lone member of the Vermont House of Representatives. There he quickly gained influence as part of an ad hoc, bi-partisan freshman caucus known as the "Young Turks," who pushed to shake up and reform many aspects of state government. In 1962, Hoff began an energetic and successful campaign for governor against the incumbent, F. Ray Keyser, Jr. His election was the culmination of a decade of efforts to make the Democratic Party a competitive force in Vermont elections. At a torchlight victory parade in Winooski, Hoff exclaimed: "One hundred years of Republican rule broken!" He was re-elected in 1964 and 1966.

The hallmark of the Hoff administration was his youthful confidence as he reformed Vermont government and thrust the state into the mainstream of modern American life. Hoff opened state government's first planning office, ended the local Overseer of the Poor system of administering welfare benefits in favor of a statewide approach, and established the Vermont District Court and the Judicial Nominating Commission. He established the Governor's Commission on Women, the Vermont Council on the Arts, and the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation. He promoted regionalization in the delivery of government services, establishing regional airport and library systems. He presided over the reapportionment of the Vermont legislature to comply with the principle of one person, one vote.

As his administration drew to a close, Hoff grew active on the national political stage. Concerned about the nation's struggle for racial equality, he and New York City Mayor John Lindsay founded the Vermont-New York Youth Project. The program brought Vermont students together with minority students from New York City to work on joint projects at several Vermont colleges. This ground-breaking project reflected Vermont's eagerness to address racial inequality but the reaction of many Vermonters underscored the racist tendencies of many other Vermonters.

After a Far East tour, Hoff was the first Democratic governor in the nation to split with President Lyndon Johnson over the Vietnam War. Hoff campaigned across the country in support of Robert Kennedy's effort to obtain the Democratic presidential nomination, and was seriously considered as Hubert Humphrey's vice-presidential running mate in 1968.

In 1970, Hoff challenged incumbent Winston L. Prouty for a seat in the United States Senate. Although Hoff mounted a vigorous effort, Prouty was reelected. In 1982, Hoff returned to elective politics, winning a seat in the Vermont Senate from Chittenden County. He was re-elected in 1984 and 1986. In the Senate, he was instrumental in revitalizing the Vermont Human Rights Commission and promoting prevention of social and health problems. Hoff remained steadfastly committed to the cause of racial justice, serving for many years on the Vermont Advisory Commission to the U. S. Civil Rights Commission. He also remained an active supporter of the Vermont Democratic party, serving as its chair in the 1972 and 1973.

Hoff's support helped launch the careers of many successful Vermont politicians including Senator Patrick J. Leahy, whom Hoff appointed as Chittenden County States Attorney in 1966.

Hoff practiced law for many years, chaired a blue-ribbon commission that reformed the Vermont Bar Exam in 1982 and was a long-time Chair of the Judicial Nominating Commission. Among Hoff's other leadership roles were Chairman of the New England Governors' Conference; Chair, New England Natural Resources Center; Director of Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation; Board member, Public Land Law Review Commission; and member of the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection (2007-2008).

Phil cherished his beloved family, and had abiding, true affection for Vermont and its people. These words from his first inaugural address, January 17, 1963, still ring true today:

New methods have always been resisted by the timid and by the vested interests. We have too long accepted the belief we cannot change with the times. We have for too long heard only the cries about the risk involved in change. We now must lift our eyes to the opportunities that are within our grasp if we only have the courage to reach out for them.

Phil Hoff is survived by his wife, Joan Brower Hoff, of Shelburne, and his four daughters, Susan Haynes and her husband, Charles; Dagny Hoff and her husband, Ted Withey; Andrea McNaughton and her husband, James; and Gretchen Hoff; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, and by his siblings, Olaf, Jr., Dagny and Foster.

A service of thanksgiving will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 12, 2018, at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, 2 Cherry Street, Burlington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Nature Conservancy, The Southern Poverty Law Center, Williams College, Vermont Law School, or the charity of one's choice.