In this post we will looking at Wyoming and its territories, Its past and present governors and current House of representative’s members.
INTRODUCTION.
Wyoming is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. The 10th largest state by area, it is also the least populous and least densely populated state in the contiguous United States. Wyoming is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the south. Its population was 576,851 at the 2020 United States census, making it the least populated U.S. state. The state capital and the most populous city is Cheyenne, which had an estimated population of 63,957 in 2018. Wyoming’s western half is covered mostly by the ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the eastern half of the state is high-elevation prairie called the High Plains. It is drier and windier than the rest of the country, being split between semi-arid and continental climates with greater temperature extremes. Almost half of the land in Wyoming is owned by the federal government, generally protected for public uses. The state ranks 6th by area and fifth by proportion of a state’s land owned by the federal government. Federal lands include two national parks (Grand Teton and Yellowstone), two national recreation areas, two national monuments, several national forests, historic sites, fish hatcheries, and wildlife refuges. Indigenous peoples inhabited the region for thousands of years. Historic and current federally recognized tribes include the Arapaho, Crow, Lakota, and Shoshone. During European exploration, the Spanish Empire was the first to “claim” Southern Wyoming. With Mexican independence, it became part of that republic. After defeat in the Mexican–American War, Mexico ceded this territory to the U.S. in 1848. The region was named “Wyoming” in a bill introduced to Congress in 1865 to provide a temporary government for the territory of Wyoming. Bills for Wyoming Territory’s admission to the union were introduced in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives in December 1889. On March 27, 1890, the House passed the bill and President Benjamin Harrison signed Wyoming’s statehood bill; Wyoming became the 44th state in the union. Historically, European Americans farmed and ranched here, with shepherds and cattle ranchers in conflict over lands. Today Wyoming’s economy is largely based on tourism and the extraction of minerals such as coal, natural gas, oil, and trona. Agricultural commodities include barley, hay, livestock, sugar beets, wheat, and wool. It was the first state to allow women the right to vote and the right to assume elected office, as well as the first state to elect a female governor. Due to this part of its history, its main nickname is “The Equality State” and its official state motto is “Equal Rights”. It has been a politically conservative state since the 1950s. The Republican presidential nominee has carried the state in every election since 1968.
WYOMING TERRITORIES.
As specified in the designating legislation for the Territory of Wyoming, Wyoming’s borders are lines of latitude 41°N and 45°N, and longitude 104°3’W and 111°3’W (27 and 34 west of the Washington Meridian)—a geodesic quadrangle. Wyoming is one of only three states (the others being Colorado and Utah) to have borders defined by only “straight” lines. Due to surveying inaccuracies during the 19th century, Wyoming’s legal border deviates from the true latitude and longitude lines by up to half of a mile (0.8 km) in some spots, especially in the mountainous region along the 45th parallel. Wyoming is bordered on the north by Montana, on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado, on the southwest by Utah, and on the west by Idaho. It is the tenth largest state in the United States in total area, containing 97,814 square miles (253,340 km2) and is made up of 23 counties. From the north border to the south border, it is 276 miles (444 km); and from the east to the west border is 365 miles (587 km) at its south end and 342 miles (550 km) at the north end. The Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming. The state is a great plateau broken by many mountain ranges. Surface elevations range from the summit of Gannett Peak in the Wind River Mountain Range, at 13,804 feet (4,207 m), to the Belle Fourche River valley in the state’s northeast corner, at 3,125 feet (952 m). In the northwest are the Absaroka, Owl Creek, Gros Ventre, Wind River, and the Teton ranges. In the north central are the Big Horn Mountains; in the northeast, the Black Hills; and in the southern region the Laramie, Snowy, and Sierra Madre ranges.
LIST OF GOVERNORS OF WYOMING
This is a list of governors of Wyoming, beginning with territorial governors. Wyoming Territory was organized in 1868, and the state was admitted to the union on July 10, 1890.
Governors of the Territory of Wyoming
Governor | Appointed | Left office | Appointed by | |||
1 | John Allen Campbell October 8, 1835 – July 14, 1880 (aged 44) |
April 5, 1869 | March 1, 1875 | Ulysses S. Grant | ||
2 | John Milton Thayer January 24, 1820 – March 19, 1906 (aged 86) |
March 1, 1875 | April 10, 1878 | Ulysses S. Grant | ||
3 | John Wesley Hoyt October 13, 1831 – May 23, 1912 (aged 80) |
April 10, 1878 | August 22, 1882[2] | Rutherford B. Hayes | ||
4 | William Hale November 18, 1837 – January 13, 1885 (aged 47) |
August 22, 1882 | January 13, 1885 | Chester A. Arthur | ||
5 | Elliot S. N. Morgan 1832 – April 24, 1894 (aged 61 or 62) |
January 13, 1885 | February 28, 1885 | Chester A. Arthur | ||
6 | Francis E. Warren June 20, 1844 – November 24, 1929 (aged 85) |
February 28, 1885 | November 11, 1886 | Chester A. Arthur | ||
7 | George W. Baxter January 7, 1855 – December 18, 1929 (aged 74) |
November 11, 1886 | December 20, 1886 | Grover Cleveland | ||
8 | Elliot S. N. Morgan 1832 – April 24, 1894 (aged 61 or 62) |
December 20, 1886 | January 24, 1887 | Grover Cleveland | ||
9 | Thomas Moonlight September 30, 1833 – February 7, 1899 (aged 65) |
January 24, 1887 | April 9, 1889 | Grover Cleveland | ||
10 | Francis E. Warren June 20, 1844 – November 24, 1929 (aged 85) |
April 9, 1889 | October 11, 1890 | Benjamin Harrison |
Governors Of the State of Wyoming
There have been 20 Republican Governors, 13 Democratic and one Progressive.
Republican Democratic Progressive | |||||||||
Governor | Took office | Left office | Party | Secretary of State | Notes | ||||
1 | Francis E. Warren June 20, 1844 – November 24, 1929 (aged 85) |
October 11, 1890 | November 24, 1890 | Republican | John W. Meldrum | [3] | |||
Amos W. Barber | |||||||||
2 | Amos W. Barber July 25, 1860 – May 18, 1915 (aged 54) |
November 24, 1890 | January 2, 1893 | Republican | Amos W. Barber | [4] | |||
3 | John Eugene Osborne June 19, 1858 – April 24, 1943 (aged 84) |
January 2, 1893 | January 7, 1895 | Democratic | |||||
4 | William A. Richards March 9, 1849 – July 25, 1912 (aged 63) |
January 7, 1895 | January 2, 1899 | Republican | Charles W. Burdick | ||||
5 | DeForest Richards August 6, 1846 – April 28, 1903 (aged 56) |
January 2, 1899 | April 28, 1903 | Republican | Fenimore Chatterton | [5] | |||
6 | Fenimore Chatterton July 21, 1860 – May 9, 1958 (aged 97) |
April 28, 1903 | January 2, 1905 | Republican | [4] | ||||
7 | Bryant Butler Brooks February 5, 1861 – December 8, 1944 (aged 83) |
January 2, 1905 | January 2, 1911 | Republican | Fenimore Chatterton | ||||
William Schnitger | |||||||||
8 | Joseph M. Carey January 19, 1845 – February 5, 1924 (aged 79) |
January 2, 1911 | January 4, 1915 | Democratic | Frank L. Houx | [6] | |||
Progressive | |||||||||
9 | John B. Kendrick September 6, 1857 – November 3, 1933 (aged 76) |
January 4, 1915 | February 26, 1917 | Democratic | [3] | ||||
10 | Frank L. Houx December 12, 1854 – April 3, 1941 (aged 86) |
February 26, 1917 | January 6, 1919 | Democratic | [4] | ||||
11 | Robert D. Carey August 12, 1878 – January 17, 1937 (aged 58) |
January 6, 1919 | January 1, 1923 | Republican | William E. Chaplin | ||||
12 | William B. Ross December 4, 1873 – October 2, 1924 (aged 50) |
January 1, 1923 | October 2, 1924 | Democratic | Frank Lucas | [5] | |||
13 | Frank Lucas August 4, 1876 – November 26, 1948 (aged 72) |
October 2, 1924 | January 5, 1925 | Republican | [4] | ||||
14 | Nellie Tayloe Ross November 29, 1876 – December 19, 1977 (aged 101) |
January 5, 1925 | January 3, 1927 | Democratic | |||||
15 | Frank Emerson May 26, 1882 – February 18, 1931 (aged 48) |
January 3, 1927 | February 18, 1931 | Republican | Alonzo M. Clark | [5] | |||
16 | Alonzo M. Clark August 13, 1868 – October 12, 1952 (aged 84) |
February 18, 1931 | January 2, 1933 | Republican | [7] | ||||
17 | Leslie A. Miller January 29, 1886 – September 29, 1970 (aged 84) |
January 2, 1933 | January 2, 1939 | Democratic | Alonzo M. Clark | ||||
Lester C. Hunt | |||||||||
18 | Nels H. Smith August 27, 1884 – July 5, 1976 (aged 91) |
January 2, 1939 | January 4, 1943 | Republican | Lester C. Hunt | ||||
19 | Lester C. Hunt July 8, 1892 – June 19, 1954 (aged 61) |
January 4, 1943 | January 3, 1949 | Democratic | Mart T. Christensen | [3] | |||
William Jack | |||||||||
Arthur G. Crane | |||||||||
20 | Arthur G. Crane September 1, 1877 – August 11, 1955 (aged 77) |
January 3, 1949 | January 1, 1951 | Republican | Arthur G. Crane | [4] | |||
21 | Frank A. Barrett November 10, 1892 – May 30, 1962 (aged 69) |
January 1, 1951 | January 3, 1953 | Republican | Clifford J. Rogers | [3] | |||
22 | Clifford Joy Rogers December 20, 1897 – May 18, 1962 (aged 64) |
January 3, 1953 | January 3, 1955 | Republican | [4] | ||||
23 | Milward Simpson November 12, 1897 – June 10, 1993 (aged 95) |
January 3, 1955 | January 5, 1959 | Republican | Everett T. Copenhaver | ||||
24 | John J. Hickey August 22, 1911 – September 22, 1970 (aged 59) |
January 5, 1959 | January 2, 1961 | Democratic | Jack R. Gage | [8] | |||
25 | Jack R. Gage January 13, 1899 – March 14, 1970 (aged 71) |
January 2, 1961 | January 7, 1963 | Democratic | [4] | ||||
26 | Clifford Hansen October 16, 1912 – October 20, 2009 (aged 97) |
January 7, 1963 | January 2, 1967 | Republican | Thyra Thomson | ||||
27 | Stanley K. Hathaway July 19, 1924 – October 4, 2005 (aged 81) |
January 2, 1967 | January 6, 1975 | Republican | |||||
28 | Edgar Herschler October 27, 1918 – February 5, 1990 (aged 71) |
January 6, 1975 | January 5, 1987 | Democratic | |||||
29 | Mike Sullivan September 22, 1939 (age 82) |
January 5, 1987 | January 2, 1995 | Democratic | Kathy Karpan | ||||
30 | Jim Geringer April 24, 1944 (age 78) |
January 2, 1995 | January 6, 2003 | Republican | Diana J. Ohman | ||||
Joseph Meyer | |||||||||
31 | Dave Freudenthal October 12, 1950 (age 71) |
January 6, 2003 | January 3, 2011 | Democratic | Joseph Meyer | ||||
Max Maxfield | |||||||||
32 | Matt Mead March 11, 1962 (age 60) |
January 3, 2011 | January 7, 2019 | Republican | Max Maxfield | ||||
Ed Murray | |||||||||
Edward Buchanan | |||||||||
33 | Mark Gordon March 14, 1957 (age 65) |
January 7, 2019 | Incumbent[9] | Republican | Edward Buchanan |
MEMBERS OF REPRESENTATIVES TO THE U.S. HOUSE FROM WEST WYOMING.
The following is an alphabetical list of members of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Wyoming. For chronological tables of members of both houses of the United States Congress from the state (through the present day), see United States congressional delegations from Wyoming.
List of representatives
Member / Delegate | Party | District | Years | Electoral history |
Frank A. Barrett | Republican | At-large | January 3, 1943 – December 31, 1950 | Elected in 1942 Resigned when elected Governor of Wyoming |
Joseph M. Carey | Republican | Territory | March 4, 1885 – July 10, 1890 | Elected in 1884 Retired when elected U.S. senator |
Vincent M. Carter | Republican | At-large | March 4, 1929 – January 3, 1935 | Elected in 1928 Retired to run for U.S. senator |
Dick Cheney | Republican | At-large | January 3, 1979 – March 20, 1989 | Elected in 1978 Resigned when appointed Secretary of Defense |
Liz Cheney | Republican | At-large | January 3, 2017 – present | Elected in 2016 |
Clarence D. Clark | Republican | At-large | December 1, 1890 – March 3, 1893 | Elected in 1890 Lost re-election to Coffeen |
Henry A. Coffeen | Democratic | At-large | March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895 | Elected in 1892 Lost re-election to Mondell |
William Wellington Corlett | Republican | Territory | March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879 | Elected in 1876 Did not seek re-election |
Barbara Cubin | Republican | At-large | January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2009 | Elected in 1994 Retired |
Stephen Wheeler Downey | Republican | Territory | March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881 | Elected in 1878 Retired |
Paul R. Greever | Democratic | At-large | January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1939 | Elected in 1934 Lost re-election to Horton |
Bill Harrison | Republican | At-large | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1955 | Elected in 1950 Retired to run for U.S. senator |
January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1965 | Elected in 1960 Lost re-election to Roncalio |
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January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1969 | Elected in 1966 Lost primary to Wold |
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Frank O. Horton | Republican | At-large | January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1941 | Elected in 1938 Lost re-election to McIntyre |
William Theopilus Jones | Republican | Territory | March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873 | Elected in 1870 Lost re-election to Steele |
Cynthia Lummis | Republican | At-large | January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2017 | Elected in 2008 Retired |
John J. McIntyre | Democratic | At-large | January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1943 | Elected in 1940 Lost re-election to Barrett |
Frank W. Mondell | Republican | At-large | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 | Elected in 1894 Lost re-election to Osborne |
March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1923 | Elected in 1898 Retired to run for U.S. senator |
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Stephen Friel Nuckolls | Democratic | Territory | December 6, 1869 – March 3, 1871 | Elected in 1869 Retired |
John E. Osborne | Democratic | At-large | March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899 | Elected in 1896 Retired |
Morton Everel Post | Democratic | Territory | March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1885 | Elected in 1880 Did not seek re-election |
Teno Roncalio | Democratic | At-large | January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967 | Elected in 1964 Retired to run for U.S. senator |
January 3, 1971 – December 30, 1978 | Elected in 1970 Did not seek re-election and resigned early |
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William Randolph Steele | Democratic | Territory | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1877 | Elected in 1872 Lost re-election to Corlett |
Craig L. Thomas | Republican | At-large | April 26, 1989 – January 3, 1995 | Elected in 1989 special election Retired to run for U.S. senator |
Edwin K. Thomson | Republican | At-large | January 3, 1955 – December 9, 1960 | Elected in 1954 Retired to run for U.S. senator but died before Senate term began |
Charles E. Winter | Republican | At-large | March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1929 | Elected in 1922 Retired to run for U.S. senator |
John S. Wold | Republican | At-large | January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1971 | Elected in 1968 Retired to run for U.S. senator |