Fred Tuttle
Fred Tuttle | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | Frederick Herman Tuttle July 18, 1919 Tunbridge, Vermont, U.S. |
Died | October 4, 2003 Burlington, Vermont, U.S. | (aged 84)
Resting place | Spring Road Cemetery, Tunbridge, Vermont |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Dorothy Louise Savage
(m. 1961) |
Education | South Royalton High School |
Occupation | Dairy farmer |
Frederick Herman Tuttle (July 18, 1919 – October 4, 2003) was an American dairy farmer, actor,
Tuttle retired from farming in 1984, and continued to reside in Tunbridge, where he engaged in gardening and other hobbies. Tuttle was a neighbor of filmmaker
Tuttle defeated McMullen by 5,034 votes out of 52,813 cast in the Republican primary after a campaign of humorous and memorable incidents. Vermont had recently adopted an open primary system and many Democrats voted in the Republican primary to help Tuttle win. He then announced that he had no intention of leaving Tunbridge or serving in the Senate, and endorsed Leahy for reelection. They made several joint appearances, and Leahy easily won reelection in November. The campaign added to Tuttle's growing status as a folk figure and cult hero, and a steady stream of public appearances followed. However, many Republicans in Vermont resented his false candidacy which they felt denied them the right to a legitimate candidate in the Senate race since McMullen was seen as their best chance to unseat Leahy in years. He died in 2003, and was buried in Tunbridge.
Early life
Tuttle was born in Tunbridge, Vermont, the son of Bessie Laura (Hoyt) and Joseph Charles Tuttle.[1] He lived in Tunbridge all his life, except for his military service. He attended the schools of Tunbridge, and completed tenth grade at South Royalton High School before going to work on his family's dairy farm.
Military service
Tuttle served in the
Post-World War II
In 1947, Tuttle married Ida May Foote (1916-2000) in Canterbury, New Hampshire.[2] They divorced and in 1953, Tuttle married Charlotte Lorraine Perry (1929-1999) in White River Junction, Vermont.[3] He married Dorothy L. (Hilts) (1929-2011) in Maine in 1961.[4]
Later career
Tuttle retired from farming in 1984 and engaged in gardening and other hobbies. After his retirement, he appeared in several
In 1998, Tuttle was persuaded to run in the
Tuttle campaigned on a platform that seemed absurdist by the standards of contemporary politics. McMullen and the state Republican Party challenged Tuttle's ballot petition and got 95 of his signatures invalidated. Tuttle needed 23 more to stay on the ballot and he received 2,309 more signatures. McMullen then gave flowers to Tuttle in the hospital while Tuttle was there for knee surgery.[6]
During the radio-broadcast debate, Tuttle asked a series of humorous local knowledge questions rather than political questions. McMullen was unable to correctly pronounce the names of several Vermont towns, or correctly answer Fred's question "How many
Tuttle's subsequent election campaign against Leahy saw him continue to receive publicity. He continued to endorse Leahy, saying of him, "He knows how many tits on a cow."
Tuttle was described by Senator Leahy as "the distilled essence of Vermonthood". He was considered by many to be an example of both the "everyman" and of the unique individualist.
Namesakes
Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School[8], located in South Burlington, Vermont, is named in memorial of Tuttle.
Death and burial
Tuttle died in Burlington, Vermont, after being hospitalized with a heart attack following a day spent digging potatoes at his home in Tunbridge.[9] He was buried at Tunbridge's Spring Road Cemetery[9] wearing his overalls, with a pen in his pocket for autograph signing and a can of Moxie by his side.[10][11][12]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Fred Tuttle | 28,355 | 53.69% | |
Republican | Jack McMullen | 23,321 | 44.16% | |
Republican | Write-ins
|
1,137 | 2.15% | |
Total votes | 52,813 | 100.00% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Patrick Leahy (Incumbent) | 154,567 | 72.22% | +18.05% | |
Republican | Fred Tuttle | 48,051 | 22.45% | -20.90% | |
Libertarian | Hugh Douglas | 4,199 | 1.96% | ||
Independent
|
Barry Nelson | 2,893 | 1.35% | ||
Grassroots | Robert Melamede
|
2,459 | 1.15% | ||
Liberty Union
|
Jerry Levy | 1,238 | 0.58% | -1.21% | |
Write-ins | 629 | 0.29% | |||
Majority | 106,516 | 49.77% | +38.95% | ||
Turnout | 214,036 | ||||
Democratic hold |
Notes
- ^ "Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008 Entry for Fred H. Tuttle". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. 2003.
- ^ "New Hampshire, Marriage and Divorce Records 1659-1947, Entry for Fred H. Tuttle and Ida May Foote". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. 1947.
- ^ "Vermont Marriage Records, 1909-2008, Entry for Fred H. Tuttle and Charlotte Lorraine Perry". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. 1953.
- ^ "Maine Marriage Index, 1892-1996, Entry for Fred H. Tuttle and Dorothy Hilts". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. 1961.
- ^ "Fred Tuttle: Man with a plan?" BBC News, October 27, 1998
- ^ "Fred Tuttle for Senate: Why Not?" The Washington Post, September 4, 1998
- ^ "Lights, Camera ... Fred!" Time, September 28, 1998.
- ^ Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School
- ^ a b "Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008 Entry for Fred H. Tuttle".
- ^ "'Man With a Plan' Becomes Reality" Archived October 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine NewEnglandFilm.com, October 1, 1998
- ^ Fred Tuttle: A Man with a Plan at the Wayback Machine (archived October 2, 2008) Vermont Only, archived October 2, 2008, from the original
- ^ "Fred Tuttle, 84, Farmer and Celebrity, Dies". The New York Times, October 7, 2003.
- ^ William Senning (May 9, 2017). "Elections | Home | Vermont Secretary of State" (PDF). Vermont-elections.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- ^ "1998 Election Statistics - Legislative Activities - Office of the Clerk". Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved July 15, 2017.