Meldrim Thomson, R.I.P.(former New Hampshire governor)(Brief Article)(Obituary)

Meldrim Thomson was elected governor of New Hampshire in 1972, defeating a Republican incumbent in a primary. He transformed the state Republican party and, through imitation, the state Democratic party. His influence, after he completed three two-year terms, is still strong. New Hampshire was the only New England state won by George W. Bush.

The post-World War II New Hampshire Republican party was middle-of-the- road to liberal. Today, all four New Hampshire national representatives are conservative Republicans: Gregg, Smith, Bass, and Sununu. The state does not have an income tax or a sales tax. Though reared in the South, always courtly and speaking with a drawl, Mel Thomson was Carborundum hard on the central question of taxation. His reply to advocates of a "broad-based" tax was direct. He ran on the platform "ax the tax."

Not surprisingly, New Hampshire began to enjoy an economic boom. Businesses moved in, especially high-tech. Refugees poured across the border from "Taxachusetts." New Hampshire became a good place to invest. After ...