[L]ongtime Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives Don Milne died Sunday at the age of 81, a few weeks after being diagnosed with advanced cancer, according to his family.
Milne was a fixture in the Statehouse for more than half a century. He first took a job in the capitol building as a second assistant clerk of the House in 1960.
In the following decades, he spent time in the well of the House as a representative from Washington and worked as a staff member in the Senate before being elected clerk of the House in 1993. He held that post until retiring three months ago.
In that role, Milne was a publicly silent but powerful force, ensuring lawmakers kept to the arcane rules and procedures of the House.
When he submitted his resignation on the final day of the legislative session in May, lawmakers stood and applauded him for a minute and a half.
“He’s had a front row seat to what happened in Vermont politics in the last 55 years,” Milne’s son Scott said of his father Monday.
Scott Milne, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate, said his father was a “tremendous source of advice” while he was on the campaign trail in 2014.
He described his father as “confident and humble.”
“But, if you paid attention to him, you learned a lot about how to treat people and how to be empathetic,” he said.
Born in Barre, Don Milne left Vermont for his undergraduate degree at Boston University and to study law at New York University, but returned to his home state and settled in Washington in 1964.
He was the longest-serving member of the Washington Selectboard. He and his wife, Marion, were named the town’s “citizens of the year” in 2010. Marion Milne, who served as a member of the House of Representatives for three terms, died in 2014.
Don Milne was diagnosed with advanced metastatic cancer three weeks before he died, according to his family.
He is survived by his daughter, Cathy Frey, and his sons Scott and Chris Milne, as well as eight grandchildren.
Top state officials celebrated his career and life Monday afternoon.
“Don was a well-known and friendly face at the Statehouse for decades,” Gov. Peter Shumlin said in a statement. “Don and his wife, Marion, exemplified what public service is about in Vermont. They cared deeply for their community and state and gave back more than anyone could expect of them.”
Lt. Gov. Phil Scott celebrated Milne’s life and career as “a reminder of the importance of public service.”
“His impact on the legislative process and his work behind the scenes in the House of Representatives made a lasting imprint on our state’s political history,” Scott said in a statement. “He was a calming force during some of our most tumultuous times, and his presence in the Chamber served as a quiet reminder to all that they were there to do the people’s work.”
“From one Barre boy to another: Don, you will always be remembered as a true Vermonter,” Scott said.
Speaker of the House Shap Smith, D-Morrisville, said in a statement that it was clear Milne loved his job as clerk.
“As speaker, I relied on Don’s remarkable knowledge of the rules and customs of the House,” Smith said. “But it was Don’s love of Vermont and knowledge of the Green Mountains that will leave a great, lasting legacy. We have lost a Vermont treasure.”
A wake is planned Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Hooker and Whitcomb Funeral Home in Barre and a funeral Saturday at 11 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Barre.
