News In Brief

George Aiken, former Vermont senator

Former Sen. George Aiken, who passed on here Monday, was a sharp-witted, homespun Vermont legislator who still called himself a farmer after five decades in politics.

Mr. Aiken, a progressive Republican, parlayed local renown as a horticulturist into a rock-solid political base. When he retired in 1975, he was dean of the Senate, the oldest senator, and the ranking Republican on both the Agriculture and Foreign Relations Committees.