Middlebury's Dorothy Douglas Assumes Role as Vermont's First Lady

Author: Kelsey Rinehart

Dorothy Douglas, Vermont's new first lady, has lived in Middlebury all of her life. One of six children, Douglas' relatives own Foster Brothers Farm Inc. and Foster Motors, which are both located in town.
In 1975, Dorothy Foster became Dorothy Douglas. Her husband, now Governor James Douglas '72, has since climbed the political ladder, moving from a position as an Addison County legislator to the majority leader of the Vermont House to Secretary of State, State Treasurer and finally Governor.
The Douglass' two sons, Matt, 22, and Andrew, 20, both graduated from Middlebury Union High School. Matt is an engineer and Andrew is a junior at Bentley College. The family lives in a modest ranch house on South Munger Street in Middlebury.
Douglas has worked in town at Dr. John Langfeldt's general dentistry practice for 30 years and has no plans to give up her job as a dental assistant despite her new role as first lady.
Additionally, Douglas remains deeply committed to her family, making daily visits to the home of her parents, Helen and Howard Foster.
Since assuming their latest political roles, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas attended a National Governors Association conference in Texas. Dorothy said she was amused to discover that seminars given at the conference included "How to Manage a Mansion" and "How to Hire Staff."
The couple will soon travel to the nation's capital to attend a White House dinner and a meeting of the National Governors Association.
The Middlebury Campus recently caught up with Mrs. Douglas to discuss her new position as Vermont's first lady.
The Campus: You have lived in Middlebury all your life. Would you say that Middlebury is a very politically active town? Has the Middlebury community changed in this regard throughout the years?
Douglas: Well, I grew up in a family that was very involved in public service. My uncle was involved and my father was on the planning commission, etc. I've been on the periphery.
The Campus: Do you feel that as Vermont's first lady you have a specific role? Do you think that former first ladies in Vermont have fulfilled this role completely, or do you want to establish a new precedent?
Douglas: The first ladies, per se, have not had any real active role. Jim and I went to a conference for governors-elect and their spouses, and met a lot of first ladies that have offices in the capitol and their own staff. Here in Vermont, we haven't had that. I'm just not sure how it's all going to work out. I have a full-time job and family commitments, but I hope to be able to be more visible. How extensive that will be, I'm not sure.
The Campus: Do you feel that your position in the community has changed since your husband's election?
Douglas: No, it's the same. We're more recognizable, that sort of thing, but other than that, nothing's changed. I want it to be that way.
The Campus: Your husband has been at the Statehouse for many years now, and has held increasingly prominent positions. Have your lives changed significantly since the election and the inauguration? Are there changes that you like and dislike that come with your husband's new position?
Douglas: Changes, no. Like I said before, being more recognizable. A lot of people will approach us-people want to try to influence the governor. Personally, the only change has been the security people that pick him up. He's doing what he's done for 30 years, and will continue to do so. He is a servant to the people.
The Campus: In a rural state like Vermont with many small towns, including Middlebury, do you think citizens feel differently towards government? Do you think that, for example, if your husband were elected governor of any other state, the change would be more drastic?
Douglas: We're unique because we're accessible.
In some of the larger states, the governor is probably off away from everything. Each state is unique. There's no across-the-board way of running things.
The Campus: How was the inaugural ball?
Douglas: It was a ball! (laughs) We were in a receiving line almost the whole night. People had a really good time. There were a lot of people there.
The Campus: Howard Dean has recently chosen to follow his long career in Vermont government with a bid for the presidency. Would your husband want to leave state government for a position on the national level? What changes would this transition bring?
Douglas: Outright, there's no way he's running for president. People have always thought that his main goal was to be governor, but it wasn't.
There wasn't this one goal.
He just wants to do the best he can, wherever that leads him.