Plaque

Name/Title

Plaque

Entry/Object ID

2024.8.1

Description

Framed printed plaque honoring Robert T. Stafford's joining of the United States Senate. The award is printed both on paper within the frame and reverse-printed on the glass. The paper features a watermark image of the Senate Chambers at the top and the lines, "ROBERT T. STAFFORD / of Vermont," "17th day of September, 1971," and the signatures and titles for both Francis R. Valeo, Secretary of the Senate, and Spiro T. Agnew, President of the Senate. There are also gold foil leaf-motif outlines for the first letter of each word "The Senate of the United States" and the red and green backing for the United States Senate seal in the lower left corner. The words, "THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES / Acknowledges and honors the membership of," "Who being duly selected by the people of his state was first sworn to office this" before the lines printed on the paper. The plaque resides within a heavy molded wooden frame with bronze interior edging.

Context

Robert Theodore Stafford (1913-2006) was an American politician from Vermont. In his lengthy political career, he served as the 71st Governor of Vermont (1959-1961), a United States Representative (1961-1971), and a U.S. Senator (1971-1989). A Republican, Stafford was generally considered a liberal, or "Rockefeller" Republican. Stafford is best remembered for his staunch environmentalism, his work on higher education, and his support, as an elder statesman, for the 2000 Vermont law legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples. The Federal Stafford Loan Program for high education is named in his honor.

Acquisition

Accession

2024.8

Source or Donor

Middlebury College

Acquisition Method

Transfer

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Plaque, Award

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Award

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Achievement Symbols

Nomenclature Class

Personal Symbols

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall

Height

13 in

Width

16 in

Depth

1-3/4 in

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Stafford, Robert Theodore (1913-2006)