Brian D. Burns

Brian D. Burns (born November 17, 1939) is an American politician who served as the 72nd Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1975 to 1977 and as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives.

For other people named Brian Burns, see Brian Burns (disambiguation).
Brian Burns
72nd Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
In office
January 1975 (1975-Jan) – January 1977 (1977-Jan)
GovernorThomas P. Salmon
Preceded byJohn S. Burgess
Succeeded byT. Garry Buckley
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1967–1975
Personal details
Born
Brian Douglas Burns

(1939-11-17) November 17, 1939
Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Vermont
Harvard University (MPA)
ProfessionReal Estate Agent

Early life and education

Brian Douglas Burns was born in Burlington, Vermont on November 17, 1939.[1] He was the nephew of John J. Burns, an Irish-American who served as the Mayor of Burlington, Vermont.[2][3] After graduating from Burlington's Cathedral High School in 1958, Burns earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont.

Career

After graduating from the University of Vermont, Burns became active in the real estate business. He served in the United States Army and the Vermont National Guard in the late-1950s and early-1960s.[4][5][6]

Politics

In 1966, Burns ran successfully for a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives. He served four terms, from 1967 to 1975.[7] He was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1974. he finished in first place, with 66,942 votes to Republican candidate T. Garry Buckley's 60,962 and 6,484 for Liberty Union Party nominee Arthur Deloy. Since Burns fell 256 votes short of the majority required by the state constitution, the contest was decided by the Vermont Legislature, which voted for Burns by a margin of 161 to 20.[8] He served from January 1975 to January 1977.[9]

Burns was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 1976 Vermont gubernatorial election, losing a three-way race to State Treasurer Stella Hackel.[10] Hackel went on to lose the general election to Richard A. Snelling.[11]

After leaving the Lieutenant Governor's office, Burns was employed as New England Director for the Farmers Home Administration.[12][13]

Burns was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1985 Burlington mayoral election, coming in second in a three-way race that was won by Bernie Sanders.[14] In 1988, Burns unsuccessfully sought a seat in the Vermont Senate.[15]

From 1989 to 1993, Burns was a Program Manager for the Northeast Rural Water Association (NERWA).[16] While in this position, he also completed a Master of Public Administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.[17]

Conviction

In 1995, he was convicted of three counts of fraud for having claimed to be working full time for NERWA while he also claimed to be attending Harvard University full time, a requirement of the degree program.[18] According to investigators, Burns misrepresented his work hours on daily NERWA time logs, and used $5,000 in federal funds to pay for an apartment and $7,000 for travel expenses, in addition to $30,000 in salary while attending Harvard. He was sentenced to six months in jail and four months of home detention, and ordered to pay restitution and court costs.[19] He appealed but his conviction was affirmed.[20][21]

Sources
  1. The National Conference of Lieutenant Governors, Biographical Sketches and Portraits, published by the conference, 1976, p. 1977
  2. Newspaper article, Burns Denies "Party Hack" Charge as Gloves Off Campaigning Begins, by Russ Garland, Bennington Banner, June 26, 1976
  3. Feeney, Vincent (2009). Finnigans, Slaters, and Stonepeggers: A History of the Irish in Vermont. Bennington, VT: Images from the Past. pp. 166, 214. ISBN 9781884592522.
  4. Commencement program, published by Cathedral High School, 1958, p. 3
  5. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1971, p. 768
  6. Vermont Legislative Directory, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1975, p. 556
  7. Newspaper article, Rep. Burns Runs for Lt. Governor, Bennington Banner, March 11, 1974
  8. 1974: Lieutenant Governor, published by Vermont Secretary of State, June 9, 2006
  9. Lieutenant Governors, Terms of Service Archived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, published by Office of the Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, 2011, p. 2
  10. Primary Election Results, published by Office of the Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, 2006, page 2
  11. Official Report of the Canvassing Committee Archived 2012-05-10 at the Wayback Machine, United States and Statewide Offices, General Election, November 2, 1976, Vermont Elections.org, undated, p. 1
  12. National Journal, National Journal Group Inc., 1977, page 1389
  13. Export Directory, published by U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service, 1978, page 23
  14. Newspaper article, Country's Only Socialist Mayor Easily Defeats Six Opponents to Win His Third Term in Vermont City, by Associated Press, published in Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1985
  15. Vermont State Legislature Candidate listing, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1988
  16. In The Main, Newsletter published by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Spring 1993
  17. 1992 Press release, Negotiation Skills Will be Taught at UVM MPA Program Course, by University of Vermont, January 3, 1992
  18. Newspaper article, Burns Convicted of Fraud in Vt. The Boston Globe, July 7, 1995
  19. "Semiannual Report to Congress October 1, 1995 through March 31, 1996" (PDF). EPA.gov. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Inspector General. March 31, 1996. p. 2.
  20. United States of America, Appellee, v. Brian Burns, Defendant-Appellant., 104 F.3d 529 (2nd Cir. 1997) Archived 2013-12-20 at the Wayback Machine, published by vLex, 1997
  21. "U.S. V. BURNS". United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. 1997. Retrieved April 20, 2017 – via casetext.com.
Political offices
Preceded by
John S. Burgess		 Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
1975–1977		 Succeeded by
T. Garry Buckley
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