Professor William T. Doyle, a popular college professor and the longest-serving state legislator in Vermont history, died August 15 at Mayo Healthcare in Northfield.

According to his Wikipedia entry, Doyle was a Republican senator from the Washington Vermont Senate District from 1969 to 2017, he is the longest-serving state legislator in Vermont history.

Doyle also was a professor at Johnson State College from 1958 – 2018, a span of 60 years. 

Known as a soft-spoken but determined public servant who put people over party, Doyle often combined his senatorial and professorial roles to the public’s benefit. For example, he and his students produced the annual Doyle poll, an unscientific but comprehensive review of voters’ positions compiled from surveys distributed at Town Meeting. Also, he was well-known for inviting politically prominent figures, known to him from his campaigning and work as a senator, to speak in his government classes at JSC.

Doyle was born in New York City, and raised in Sea Girt, New Jersey. He graduated from Princeton University in 1949, and received master’s (1955) and doctoral (1960) degrees from Columbia University. In 1958, Doyle became a professor of political science at Johnson State College, and continued to teach while serving in Vermont’s part-time legislature. After becoming a resident of Montpelier, he became active in politics as a Republican and served on the party’s city and county committees, in addition to serving on the city school board and in other local government positions.

After two unsuccessful campaigns, in 1968 Doyle won election to the Vermont Senate. He continued to win reelection every two years until 2016, when he was defeated in his bid for a 25th two-year term. At 48 years, Doyle’s service makes him the longest-serving member of the state legislature in Vermont history. During his tenure, he was the longtime chairman of the Senate’s Government Operations Committee, and he served as both Assistant Minority Leader and Minority Leader.

After being defeated for reelection, Doyle continued teaching at Johnson State College until retiring in 2018. The author of a 1984 book on Vermont political history, The Vermont Political Tradition, in 2018 he also published a second work, A Lasting Impression: Vermont Historical Articles and Local Politics.

Early life

Doyle was born in New York City on May 8, 1926. He was raised in New Jersey, and his father Edward T. Doyle (d. 1984) was the mayor of Sea Girt. Bill Doyle was educated at Spring Lake Grammar School, Manasquan High School and the Lawrenceville School. He graduated from Princeton University in 1949, and received his master’s (1955) and doctoral degrees (1960) from Columbia University.

Doyle became a professor of political science at Johnson State College in 1958, and taught there until retiring in 2018. He became a resident of Montpelier, Vermont in 1959.

Political career

In the 1960s, Doyle became active in local politics and government, serving on the Montpelier School Board from 1964 to 1968, and as chairman from 1967 to 1968. He served on the Union #32 District High School Board from 1967 to 1968, and on the advisory committee of the Barre Area Vocational High School from 1965 to 1968. Doyle was also active in the Republican Party, including service on the Montpelier and Washington County committees, a delegate to numerous state conventions, and a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1976 and 1988.

Doyle was first elected to the Vermont Senate in 1968, after running unsuccessfully in the three-member at-large Washington County district in 1964 and 1966. Doyle placed sixth of seven candidates in the 1964 Republican primary, but obtained enough write-in votes to win one of the three Democratic nominations, which he declined. In 1966, Republican Daniel B. Ruggles defeated Doyle by two votes for the third Republican nomination; Doyle initially appeared to have won, but a recount uncovered 22 ballots for Ruggles that had not been included in the original tally In 1968, Ruggles ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, and Doyle was elected as his successor.

Doyle was reelected every two years until 2014, and served continuously from 1969 to 2017. Washington County continues to elect three senators at-large, and Doyle was routinely the highest finisher among the district’s candidates. He was the longtime chairman of the Senate’s Government Operations Committee, and served as the Assistant Minority Leader for several years. Doyle was the Senate’s Minority Leader from 2010 to 2013.

Author

In 1984, Doyle published The Vermont Political Tradition, a survey of the state’s political development from its formation as an independent republic in 1777 to the election of Madeline Kunin as Vermont Governor. He has continued to publish updates periodically since the book’s first edition.

In 2018, Doyle published a second historical work A Lasting Impression: Vermont Historical Articles and Local Politics.

Most of the information above was republished from William Doyle’s Wikipedia entry. 

Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement:

“Senator Doyle was an institution.  A beloved teacher to decades of Vermont students and mentor to hundreds of legislators, including me. Serving Washington County with Bill was a real privilege.

“I remember when I was first running for the Senate, he was absolutely everywhere. I couldn’t believe the number of events he went to each and every day from dawn to well into the night. He didn’t do it for fame or ego, he did it because he was a true public servant and wanted to stay connected to the people.

“He enjoyed a long and fulfilling life and Vermont is grateful for his service. In his honor, flags will be ordered to half-staff on the day of his memorial.”