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Historical records matching George Aiken, U.S. Senator, 64th Governor of Vermont
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About George Aiken, U.S. Senator, 64th Governor of Vermont
George David Aiken (August 20, 1892 – November 19, 1984) was an American farmer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 64th Governor of Vermont (1937–1941) before serving in the United States Senate for 34 years, from 1941 to 1975. At the time of his retirement, he was the senior member of the Senate. As governor he had battled the New Deal over its programs for hydroelectric power and flood control in Vermont. Aiken was rooted in the state's progressive traditions, but distrusted any increase in presidential power.
As a liberal northeastern Republican in the Senate, he was one of four Republican cosponsors of the Full Employment Act of 1946. Aiken sponsored the food allotment bill of 1945, which was a forerunner of the food stamp program. He promoted federal aid to education, and sought to establish a minimum wage of 65 cents in 1947. Aiken was an isolationist in 1941 but supported the Truman Doctrine in 1947 and the Marshall Plan in 1948. In the 1960s and 1970s, he steered a middle course on the Vietnam war, opposing Johnson's escalation and supporting Nixon's slow withdrawal policies. Aiken was a strong supporter of the small farmer. As acting chairman of the Senate agriculture committee in 1947, he opposed high rigid price supports. He had to compromise however, and the Hope-Aiken act of 1948 introduced a sliding scale of price supports. In 1950, Aiken was one of seven Republican senators who denounced in writing the tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy, warning against elements in the Republican Party that sought, "victory through the selfish political exploitation of fear, bigotry, ignorance and intolerance."
He married Beatrice Howard and had four children by her: Dorothy, Marjorie, Howard, and Barbara. He married his second wife, Lola Pierotti, on June 30, 1967.
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George Aiken, U.S. Senator, 64th Governor of Vermont's Timeline
| 1892 |
August 20, 1892
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Dummerston Center, Dummerston, Windham County, Vermont, United States
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| 1984 |
November 19, 1984
Age 92
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Heaton House, Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont, United States
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November 22, 1984
Age 92
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Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Putney, Windham County, Vermont, United States
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