Governor Thomas Chittenden

Thomas Chittenden was born in Connecticut in 1730 and spent his early decades as a farmer before the land disputes of the New Hampshire Grants drew him into the turbulent politics of the region that would become Vermont. He relocated to the Grants in the 1770s, allied himself with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, and became one of the most prominent voices calling for the territory's independence from New York's legal and political claims. When Vermont declared itself an independent republic in January 1777, Chittenden was positioned as the natural choice to lead the new government.

Elected governor in 1778, Chittenden faced a political situation unlike any other leader in Revolutionary America. Vermont was not recognized by the Continental Congress, which had yielded to New York's insistence that the Grants territory belonged to that state. Simultaneously, Burgoyne's 1777 invasion threatened to sever Vermont from the rest of the Patriot cause. Chittenden managed both threats through a combination of military cooperation and shrewd diplomacy. Vermont's militia fought effectively at Hubbardton and Bennington, demonstrating the republic's commitment to the Patriot cause even without formal recognition. At the same time, Chittenden and the Allen family entered into secret negotiations with the British in what became known as the Haldimand Affair, ostensibly exploring a negotiated neutrality while actually buying time to prevent a British invasion of the republic.

Chittenden governed Vermont throughout its years as an independent republic and continued as governor after Vermont was finally admitted to the Union as the fourteenth state in 1791. He served until 1797, making him one of the longest-serving governors of the early republic. His ability to keep Vermont stable, independent, and ultimately on the winning side of the Revolution without formal congressional support stands as a remarkable achievement of frontier political leadership. He died in 1797, respected across New England as the father of Vermont's statehood.