Robert Theodore Stafford (August 8, 1913 – December 23, 2006) was an American politician from Vermont. In his lengthy career, he served as the Governor of Vermont, a United States Representative, and a U.S. Senator. A Republican, Stafford was generally considered a moderate or liberal. He is best remembered for his staunch environmentalism, his work on higher education, and his support, as an elder statesman, for the 2000 Vermont law legalizing c...
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Robert Theodore Stafford (August 8, 1913 – December 23, 2006) was an American politician from Vermont. In his lengthy career, he served as the Governor of Vermont, a United States Representative, and a U.S. Senator. A Republican, Stafford was generally considered a moderate or liberal. He is best remembered for his staunch environmentalism, his work on higher education, and his support, as an elder statesman, for the 2000 Vermont law legalizing civil unions for gay couples.
Born in Rutland, Vermont, he earned his diploma from Middlebury College in 1935; briefly attending the University of Michigan Law School, he earned a law degree from the Boston University Law School in 1938. While attending Middlebury College he joined The Delta Upsilon Fraternity.
Upon his completion of law school, Stafford immediately entered local politics, serving as Rutland County's prosecuting attorney from 1938 to 1942. In 1942, he commissioned in the Navy as a lieutenant commander, and served in active duty...
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