mother was a relative of French architect Georges-Eugène Haussmann. Jeffords attended the public schools of Rutland, and graduated from Rutland High School in 1952. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial administration from Yale University in 1956. Jeffords was a member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in college, and after graduating he received his commission in the United States Navy. He then received training as a surface warfare officer, followed by assignment to USS McNair. He served for three years, and was aboard McNair when it became the first ship to enter the Suez Canal following the 1956 Suez Crisis. He was also aboard McNair as it took part in the U.S. response to the 1958 Lebanon crisis. After completing his active duty obligation, Jeffords served in the United States Navy Reserve until retiring as a captain in 1990. After leaving active duty, Jeffords attended Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1962. During 1962 and 1963 he was a law clerk for Ernest W. Gibson Jr., Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont. A longtime resident of Shrewsbury, Jeffords practiced law in Rutland and became active in politics and government as a Republican. In the 1960s, he served as Shrewsbury's Grand Juror, Town Agent and Zoning Administrator, in addition to serving as chairman of the town's Republican committee. He also served as Rutland County's chairman of the Board of Property Tax Appeals. Jeffords married Elizabeth "Liz" Daley twice, first in 1961, which ended with a June 1978 divorce. On August 26, 1986, they married again. Liz Jeffords died on the morning of April 13, 2007, after a long struggle with ovarian cancer. Jeffords and his wife had two children, Leonard and Laura, both of whom live and work in the Washington, D.C., area. After his wife's death, Jeffords resided in Washington, D.C., a move he made in order to live near his son and daughter. Political career Early career Jeffords won a seat in the Vermont Senate in 1966. During his 1967 to 1969 term, Jeffords served on the General and Judiciary Committees. He followed that success in 1968 with a victory in the race for Attorney General of Vermont. He was a Presidential Elector for Vermont in 1972, and voted for reelection of the Nixon–Agnew ticket. Jeffords sought the Republican Party nomination for governor in 1972, but was defeated