Madeleine M. Kunin
| Madeleine Kunin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States Ambassador to Liechtenstein | |
|
In office March 14, 1997 – August 16, 1999 |
|
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Larry Lawrence |
| Succeeded by | Richard Fredericks |
| United States Ambassador to Switzerland | |
|
In office August 19, 1996 – August 16, 1999 |
|
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Larry Lawrence |
| Succeeded by | Richard Fredericks |
| United States Deputy Secretary of Education | |
|
In office 1993–1996 |
|
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | David T. Kearns |
| Succeeded by | Marshall Smith |
| 77th Governor of Vermont | |
|
In office January 10, 1985 – January 10, 1991 |
|
| Lieutenant |
Peter Smith Howard Dean |
| Preceded by | Richard Snelling |
| Succeeded by | Richard Snelling |
| 74th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont | |
|
In office January 10, 1979 – January 10, 1983 |
|
| Governor | Richard Snelling |
| Preceded by | Garry Buckley |
| Succeeded by | Peter Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Madeleine May September 28, 1933 Zürich, Switzerland |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Arthur Kunin (1959–1995) John Hennessey (2006–present) |
| Alma mater |
University of Massachusetts, Amherst Columbia University University of Vermont |
| Religion | Judaism |
Madeleine May Kunin (born September 28, 1933) is an American diplomat and politician. She was the 77th Governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991, as a member of the Democratic Party. She also served as United States Ambassador to Switzerland from 1996 to 1999. She was Vermont's first and, to date, only female governor as well as the first Jewish governor of Vermont. She was also the first Jewish woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state. Kunin is currently a James Marsh Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont.
Kunin was born in Zürich, the daughter of Renee (Bloch) and Ferdinand May. Her family was Jewish. She moved to the United States as a child. She received her bachelor's degree in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (1956), a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and a master's degree in English from the University of Vermont. Prior to seeking elective office, she worked as a journalist for The Burlington Free Press, as a tour guide at the World's Fair, and as a part-time college professor. She was also involved in community activities, particularly in the area of women's rights, children, and literature. In 2012 her book, The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work, and Family, was published by Chelsea Green Publishing.
In 1972, Kunin was defeated in her bid to join the Burlington Board of Aldermen. Later that year she was elected a Vermont State Representative, where in her first term she served as a member of the Government Operations Committee. Following her reelection in 1974, she was elected Minority Whip of the State House and appointed to the Appropriations Committee. After being elected to a third term in 1976, she was appointed Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, the first woman to assume this position. Kunin has written that when she served on the Appropriations Committee during his chairmanship, Emory A. Hebard, a conservative Republican who later served as Vermont State Treasurer, was a mentor, and gave her significant responsibilities despite her status as a member of the minority Democrats. When Hebard left the House, he successfully lobbied his former colleagues to name Kunin as chairwoman of the committee.
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