Thomas Garry Buckley was the 72nd Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1976 without winning a majority of the vote. He finished second in the general election, but under Vermont law, since neither candidate received a majority, the Vermont General Assembly

Vermont General Assembly

The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself...

 was empowered to choose a winner. The Republican controlled assembly, chose Buckley, a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

, for the lieutenant governorship.

Buckley was defeated in the 1978 Republican primary for reelection by Peter P. Smith

Peter Plympton Smith

Peter Plympton Smith is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from the U.S. state of Vermont, the 74th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, and an education administrator...

. In 1980 he lost a bid for the U.S. Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. He retired and moved from Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

 to Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

.