George D. Aiken Papers

Born in Dummerston, Vermont on August 20, 1892, George David Aiken held public office at the local, state, and national level for more than 43 years. A Putney farmer, Aiken owned and operated the Aiken Nurseries. His lifelong interest in agriculture began at an early age; at age 18 he was master of the Putney Grange, and at 21, he helped organize the Windham County Farm Bureau. Elected school director of Putney in 1920, George D. Aiken held his first political office for 15 years.

Vermont State Politics

Three generations of Aikens served in the Vermont House of Representatives. Following this tradition, George D. Aiken ran but lost his first bid for the House in 1922. Eight years later in 1931, Putney sent Aiken to the House where he climbed quickly in the ranks of state politics. Aiken was named Speaker of the House, 1933-1935, became Lieutenant-Governor in 1935, and held the state's highest office as Governor of Vermont from 1937 to 1941.

National politics

Governor Aiken's desire for the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway motivated him to run for national office. He easily won the senatorial election in 1940, one of the youngest men ever elected to the U.S. Senate at the time. Aiken's long fight for the St. Lawrence Seaway enabling legislation began in 1943, and culminated with the signing of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project bill in 1954.

For six terms, from 1941 to 1974, George D. Aiken served Vermont in the U.S. Senate. During Senator Aiken's long tenure, he was primarily involved with agricultural, foreign policy, and energy legislation. Some of the highlights of his long career included appointments to a wide variety of Senate committees: Civil Service (1941-1947), Pensions (1941-1947), Expenditures in the Executive Departments (1941-1949), Education and Labor (1941-1954), Agriculture and Foresty (1941-1974), Agriculture Appropriations (1947-1971), Foreign Relations (1954-1974), Atomic Energy (1959-1974), the Republican Policy, Principles, and Campaign committees (1960s), and Aeronautical and Space Sciences (1965-1966). Presidential appointments included his service on the First Hoover Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government (1947-1949), U.S. Representative to the 15th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (1960), and member of the U.S delegation to Moscow for the signing of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963.

Private Citizen

Upon his retirement from the Senate in 1975, George Aiken returned to his home state to share his vast experience and energy with Vermonters. He lectured extensively throughout the state, particularly at the University of Vermont. Aiken continued his involvement in agricultural and environmental issues; both the Sugar Maple Laboratory in So. Burlington and UVM's Center for Natural Resources were named in his honor. Five thousand acres of national forest in Woodford, Vt. were designated the George D. Aiken Wilderness Area in 1984.

Personal

George D. Aiken married the late Beatrice Howard in 1914, with whom he had four children: Dorothy, Marjorie, Barbara, and Howard (deceased). In 1967, Senator Aiken married his longtime administrative assistant, Lola Pierotti. Aiken authored Pioneering with Wildflowers (1933), Pioneering with Fruits and Berries (1936), Speaking from Vermont (1938), Aiken Senate Diary: January 1972-January 1975 (1976), numerous booklets and pamphlets on public affairs issues, and articles for Vermont Life magazine. On November 19, 1984, George D. Aiken died in Montpelier, Vt. Aiken's legacy to his state and to his country was perhaps best summarized by The Washington Post's obituary tribute of George D. Aiken as "a model of simplicity, integrity and candor: a man of character."