C. Douglas Cairns

C. Douglas Cairns
Cairns in 1957, as mayor-elect
31st Mayor of Burlington, Vermont
In office June 3, 1957[1] – June 1, 1959
Preceded by	John Edward Moran
Succeeded by	James E. Fitzpatrick
Personal details
Born	(1914-06-01)June 1, 1914 Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	July 6, 1985(1985-07-06) (aged 71) Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Resting place	Lakeview Cemetery, Burlington, Vermont
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Frances Mary Nason
Parents	Claude Cairns (father) Mae Lewis (mother)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1941-1945
Battles/wars	World War II

Claude Douglas Cairns (June 1, 1914 – July 6, 1985) was an American politician who served as the 31st mayor of Burlington, Vermont. His mayoral victory in 1957 ended eighteen years of Democratic control of Burlington's mayoralty since Republican Louis Fenner Dow left office in 1939.

Life

Claude Douglas Cairns was born in Salem, Massachusetts on June 1, 1914 to Mae Lewis and Claude F. Cairns. In 1932 he graduated from the Chauncey Hall Preparatory School and received a degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1936.^[2] From 1941 to his honorary discharge in 1945 he served in the United States Navy on board the USS Block Island in the Atlantic.

From 1953 to 1957 Cairns served two terms as on the Burlington Board of Aldermen. On April 27, 1956 he was elected as Chairman of the Burlington Republican City Committee to succeed John B. Harrington.^[3] In September he proposed adding the support of lowering the voting age to eighteen to the Vermont Republican Party platform.^[4]

On February 18, 1957 he was given the mayoral nomination and on March 5 defeated incumbent Democratic Mayor John Edward Moran with 4,053 votes to 3,830 votes.

In 1964 he ran for one of Chittenden County's five state senate seats, but came in seventh place out ten candidates.[14]

During the 1960 and 1968 he organized the presidential campaigns of Richard Nixon in Vermont. During the 1964 campaign he was an early supporter of Barry Goldwater and served as chairman and member of the Vermont delegation to the national convention in support of Goldwater although the delegates were officially uncommitted.^[15][16] He attempted to become the Republican national committeeman for Vermont, but was defeated by incumbent State Senator Edward G. Janeway.^[17] He also ran Barry Goldwater's campaign in Vermont in 1964 and served as both his vice chairman of his campaign in Vermont and national campaign's chairman in 1964.^[18] Late into the campaign he led an effort to block the Citizens Party from giving its nomination and extra ballot access line to Lyndon B. Johnson.^[19]

Cairns died in Burlington, Vermont July 6, 1985 at age 71.

Electoral history

References