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George David Aiken (August 20, 1892November 19, 1984) was an American farmer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 64th Governor of Vermont (1937–1941) before serving in the United States Senate for 34 years, from 1941 to 1975. At the time of his retirement, he was the senior member of the Senate. As governor he had battled the New Deal over its programs for hydroelectric power and flood control in Vermont. Aiken was rooted in the state's progressive traditions, but distrusted any increase in presidential power.〔Heinrichs, 2001)〕 As a liberal northeastern Republican in the Senate, he was one of four Republican cosponsors of the Full Employment Act of 1946. Aiken sponsored the food allotment bill of 1945, which was a forerunner of the food stamp program. He promoted federal aid to education, and sought to establish a minimum wage of 65 cents in 1947. Aiken was an isolationist in 1941 but supported the Truman Doctrine in 1947 and the Marshall Plan in 1948. In the 1960s and 1970s, he steered a middle course on the Vietnam war, opposing Johnson's escalation and supporting Nixon's slow withdrawal policies. Aiken was a strong supporter of the small farmer. As acting chairman of the Senate agriculture committee in 1947, he opposed high rigid price supports. He had to compromise however, and the Hope-Aiken act of 1948 introduced a sliding scale of price supports. In 1950, Aiken was one of seven Republican senators who denounced in writing the tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy, warning against elements in the Republican Party that sought, "victory through the selfish political exploitation of fear, bigotry, ignorance and intolerance."〔Eleonora W. Schoenebaum, ed., ''Political Profiles: The Truman Years'' (1978) p 7〕 ==Early life== George David Aiken was born in Dummerston, Vermont, to Edward Webster and Myra (née Cook) Aiken. In 1893, he and his parents moved to Putney, where he received his early education at local public schools before graduating from Brattleboro High School in 1909. Aiken, who developed a strong interest in agriculture at an early age, became a member of the Putney branch of the Grange in 1906. In 1912, he borrowed $100 to plant a patch of raspberries; within five years, his plantings grew to five hundred acres and included a nursery.〔 In 1926, Aiken became engaged in the commercial cultivation of wildflowers. He published ''Pioneering With Wildflowers'' in 1933 and ''Pioneering With Fruits and Berries'' in 1936.〔 He also served as president of the Vermont Horticultural Society (1917–1918) and of the Windham County Farm Bureau (1935–1936).〔 In 1914, Aiken married Beatrice Howard, to whom he remained married until her death in 1966.〔(Beatrice Aiken ) at ''(Find A Grave )''〕 The couple had three daughters, Dorothy Howard, Marjorie Evelyn (who married Harry Cleverly), and Barbara Marion; and one son, Howard Russell.〔 In 1967 Aiken married his longtime administrative assistant, Lola Pierotti.〔 Lola Aiken remained active in Republican politics until her death in 2014 at age 102.〔(Lola Aiken ) at ''(Find A Grave )''〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「George Aiken」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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