Thomas P. Salmon

Thomas Paul Salmon (August 19, 1932 – January 14, 2025) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 75th governor of Vermont from 1973 to 1977.

Early life Thomas P. Salmon was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 19, 1932, the son of Thomas A. Salmon and Lucy M. (Conlon) Salmon. He was raised in Stow, Massachusetts, attended Stow High School, and graduated in 1950 from Hudson High School in Hudson, Massachusetts. After admission to the bar, he settled in Rockingham, Vermont, where he practiced law as a partner in the firm of Salmon and Nostrand. and belonged to the Knights of Columbus. They were the parents of four children: Anne Marie, Marguerite, Thomas M., and Caroline. Thomas and Madeleine Salmon divorced in 1983, and in 1984 he married Susan June Bisson.

Career In 1960, Salmon became town counsel for Rockingham, Vermont, and he served until 1972. From 1963 to 1965, he served as judge of the Bellows Falls municipal court. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Rockingham in 1965, and from District 13-1 for 1966, from 1967 to 1968 and from 1969 to 1971. During the campaign, Salmon capitalized on the widespread perception that out-of-state investors were overdeveloping the state's land with the slogan "Vermont Is Not For Sale." Republicans won every other statewide office, but Salmon convincingly won the governorship.

Salmon died in Brattleboro, Vermont, on January 14, 2025.