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Craig Thomas (politician)
Encyclopedia
Craig Lyle Thomas was an American politician
who served more than twelve years as a Republican
United States senator
from Wyoming
. In the Senate, Thomas was considered an expert on agriculture
and rural development. He had served in key positions in several state agencies, including a long tenure as Vice President of the Wyoming Farm Bureau from 1965-74. Thomas resided in Casper
for twenty-eight years. In 1984, he was elected from Casper to the Wyoming House of Representatives
, in which he served until 1989.
In 1989, Dick Cheney
, who occupied Wyoming's only seat in the House of Representatives
, resigned to become Secretary of Defense
. Thomas became the Republican candidate to succeed Cheney and won the April 1989 special election. He was re-elected in 1990
and 1992
, and in 1994
he ran for and won the Senate seat being vacated by fellow conservative Republican Malcolm Wallop
of Sheridan
in northeastern Wyoming. He was re-elected in 2000
and 2006
, having easily beaten Democratic
candidates in both elections with margins of 70 percent or more.
, the seat of Park County in northwestern Wyoming, roughly 50 miles east of Yellowstone National Park
. His parents were public school teachers who operated a dude ranch
business on the edge of Yellowstone during the summers. The family's interest in tourism
later led Thomas to purchase a small hotel
in Torrington
.
Thomas graduated from the University of Wyoming
in Laramie
with a degree in animal husbandry
. Thereafter, he served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps
from 1955 to 1959; he attained the rank of Captain. He obtained a law degree from La Salle Extension University
, though he did not list it on later official biographies.
In addition to his work with the Farm Bureau, he was general manager of the Wyoming Rural Electrification Administration. After five years in the Wyoming House, Thomas won a special election to replace Dick Cheney
as Wyoming's lone member of the United States House of Representatives
; he was re-elected to that seat in 1990 and 1992. In 1994, he ran for the United States Senate
and won, defeating popular Democratic
Governor Mike Sullivan by 20 percentage points. He was elected second term in 2000 with a 74 percent majority, one of the largest margins in Wyoming election history. In the 2006 election he was opposed by Democratic engineer Dale Groutage
. Thomas was re-elected to a third term with 70 percent of the ballots even as Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal
was also winning with the same 70 percent margin.
As chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee, Thomas authored legislation to provide funding and management reforms to protect America's national parks into the 21st century. For this and other relevant legislation, Thomas was honored by the National Parks Conservation Association
with their William Penn Mott, Jr., Park Leadership Award, as well as the National Parks Achievement Award. As the senior member of the Senate's influential Finance Committee
, Thomas had been involved in issues such as Social Security
, trade, rural health care, and tax reform. As co-chair of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, Senator Thomas worked on legislation to improve health care opportunities for rural families.
Thomas pushed for the nomination of former State Representative Richard Honaker
of Rock Springs
to serve as U.S. District Judge in Cheyenne to succeed the retiring Clarence A. Brimmer, who had been an unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial hopeful in 1974. The Honaker nomination, however, ran into delays when the Senate Judiciary delayed his hearing for eleven months, and opposition surface from abortion access advocates and secularists.
During part of his tenure in the Senate, Thomas sat at the Candy desk
.
. Two days after the 2006 election, Thomas' diagnosis of leukemia
was announced.
He immediately underwent treatment in the form of chemotherapy
at the hospital and then returned to work in December, a month earlier than expected. In early 2007, Thomas said he was feeling better than he had in a long time, but he returned to the hospital for a second round of chemotherapy a month later. On June 4, 2007, Thomas was reported in serious condition, struggling with an infection while undergoing a second round of chemotherapy at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland
. Thomas was pronounced dead that same day from complications of leukemia at 9:53 PM EST.
Thomas' services were held in the Methodist Church in Casper on June 9, 2007. The two Senate leaders, Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-NV), and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
(R-KY), headed a delegation of some twenty members of Congress who came to pay respects to the deceased senator. Thomas' burial was in Riverside Cemetery in Cody on June 10.
Under Wyoming law, Governor Freudenthal was required to appoint a new senator from a list of three submitted by the Wyoming Republican Party
's central committee because the seat was vacated by a Republican
. The GOP met on June 19, 2007 in Casper to select three candidates from thirty applicants to send to the governor. Tom Sansonetti
, former state Treasurer Cynthia Lummis
, and State Senator John Barrasso
were nominated. On June 22, 2007 Governor Dave Freudenthal
appointed Barrasso as Thomas's successor in the U.S. Senate.
Senator Thomas has been honored posthumously by having the Visitor Center in Grand Teton National Park named for him. The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, in Moose
, Wyoming, was dedicated on August 11, 2007, with many dignitaries attending, including Vice President Dick Cheney
.
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
who served more than twelve years as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
United States senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. In the Senate, Thomas was considered an expert on agriculture
Agriculture in the United States
Agriculture is a major industry in the United States and the country is a net exporter of food. As of the last census of agriculture in 2007, there were 2.2 million farms, covering an area of , an average of per farm.-History:...
and rural development. He had served in key positions in several state agencies, including a long tenure as Vice President of the Wyoming Farm Bureau from 1965-74. Thomas resided in Casper
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
for twenty-eight years. In 1984, he was elected from Casper to the Wyoming House of Representatives
Wyoming Legislature
The Wyoming State Legislature is the legislative branch of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is a bicameral state legislature, consisting of a 60 member Wyoming House of Representatives, and a 30 member Wyoming Senate. The legislature meets at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne...
, in which he served until 1989.
In 1989, Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
, who occupied Wyoming's only seat in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, resigned to become Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
. Thomas became the Republican candidate to succeed Cheney and won the April 1989 special election. He was re-elected in 1990
United States House elections, 1990
The U.S. House election, 1990 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1990 which occurred in the middle of President George H. W. Bush's term...
and 1992
United States House elections, 1992
The United States House of Representatives elections in 1992 coincided with the 1992 presidential election, in which Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore were elected as President and Vice President, respectively, defeating Republican incumbent President George H. W...
, and in 1994
United States Senate elections, 1994
The U.S. Senate election, 1994 was an election held on November 8, in which the Republican Party was able to take control of the Senate from the Democrats. In a midterm election, the opposition Republicans held the traditional advantage...
he ran for and won the Senate seat being vacated by fellow conservative Republican Malcolm Wallop
Malcolm Wallop
Malcolm Wallop was a Republican politician and former three-term United States Senator from Wyoming.-Early years:...
of Sheridan
Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan is a city in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The 2010 census put the population at 17,444 and a Micropolitan Statistical Area of 29,116...
in northeastern Wyoming. He was re-elected in 2000
United States Senate elections, 2000
In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred (they coincided with the election of George W....
and 2006
United States Senate elections, 2006
Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 7, 2006, with 33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate being contested. Senators are elected for six-year terms, with one third of the Senate seats up for a vote every two years. The term of office for those elected in 2006 runs...
, having easily beaten Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidates in both elections with margins of 70 percent or more.
Family
Thomas was married to the former Susan Roberts, a public school teacher for special-needs students in Arlington, Virginia; the couple had three sons and one daughter.Biography
Thomas was born and reared in CodyCody, Wyoming
Cody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...
, the seat of Park County in northwestern Wyoming, roughly 50 miles east of Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
. His parents were public school teachers who operated a dude ranch
Dude ranch
The guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agritourism.-History:...
business on the edge of Yellowstone during the summers. The family's interest in tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
later led Thomas to purchase a small hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Torrington
Torrington, Wyoming
Torrington is a city in and the county seat of Goshen County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 5,776 at the 2000 census. Torrington is the home of Eastern Wyoming College....
.
Thomas graduated from the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
in Laramie
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
with a degree in animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
. Thereafter, he served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
from 1955 to 1959; he attained the rank of Captain. He obtained a law degree from La Salle Extension University
La Salle Extension University
La Salle Extension University , also styled as LaSalle Extension University, was a nationally accredited private university based in Chicago, Illinois. Although the school offered resident educational programs in classes and seminars their primary mode of delivery was by way of distance learning...
, though he did not list it on later official biographies.
In addition to his work with the Farm Bureau, he was general manager of the Wyoming Rural Electrification Administration. After five years in the Wyoming House, Thomas won a special election to replace Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
as Wyoming's lone member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
; he was re-elected to that seat in 1990 and 1992. In 1994, he ran for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and won, defeating popular Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Governor Mike Sullivan by 20 percentage points. He was elected second term in 2000 with a 74 percent majority, one of the largest margins in Wyoming election history. In the 2006 election he was opposed by Democratic engineer Dale Groutage
Dale Groutage
Dale Groutage is an engineer who unsuccessfully ran in 2006 as the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in Wyoming against incumbent Senator Craig Thomas...
. Thomas was re-elected to a third term with 70 percent of the ballots even as Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal
Dave Freudenthal
David Duane "Dave" Freudenthal , is an American politician who served as the 31st Governor of Wyoming. A Democrat, he was reelected to his second term on November 7, 2006, and announced on March 4, 2010, that he would not attempt to seek a third term as Governor.-Education and early...
was also winning with the same 70 percent margin.
As chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee, Thomas authored legislation to provide funding and management reforms to protect America's national parks into the 21st century. For this and other relevant legislation, Thomas was honored by the National Parks Conservation Association
National Parks Conservation Association
The National Parks Conservation Association is the only independent, membership organization devoted exclusively to advocacy on behalf of the National Parks System...
with their William Penn Mott, Jr., Park Leadership Award, as well as the National Parks Achievement Award. As the senior member of the Senate's influential Finance Committee
United States Senate Committee on Finance
The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generally, and those relating to the insular possessions; bonded debt of the United States; customs, collection...
, Thomas had been involved in issues such as Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
, trade, rural health care, and tax reform. As co-chair of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, Senator Thomas worked on legislation to improve health care opportunities for rural families.
Thomas pushed for the nomination of former State Representative Richard Honaker
Richard Honaker
Richard Henderson Honaker is a lawyer in Rock Springs, Wyoming who was nominated on March 19, 2007, by U.S. President George W. Bush to serve as one of three U.S. District Judges for the District of Wyoming. The nomination was given the highest "well qualified" rating by the judicial evaluation...
of Rock Springs
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 18,708 at the 2000 census. Rock Springs is the principal city of the Rock Springs micropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 37,975....
to serve as U.S. District Judge in Cheyenne to succeed the retiring Clarence A. Brimmer, who had been an unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial hopeful in 1974. The Honaker nomination, however, ran into delays when the Senate Judiciary delayed his hearing for eleven months, and opposition surface from abortion access advocates and secularists.
During part of his tenure in the Senate, Thomas sat at the Candy desk
Candy desk
The candy desk is a tradition of the United States Senate established in 1968, according to the Senate Historical Office. The desk, located on the Republican side of the Senate chamber, was first stocked with candy and treats by Senator George Murphy. Those entrusted with the candy desk have...
.
Illness and death
Thomas entered the hospital shortly before the balloting occurred in November 2006 and was initially treated for pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. Two days after the 2006 election, Thomas' diagnosis of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
was announced.
He immediately underwent treatment in the form of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
at the hospital and then returned to work in December, a month earlier than expected. In early 2007, Thomas said he was feeling better than he had in a long time, but he returned to the hospital for a second round of chemotherapy a month later. On June 4, 2007, Thomas was reported in serious condition, struggling with an infection while undergoing a second round of chemotherapy at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
. Thomas was pronounced dead that same day from complications of leukemia at 9:53 PM EST.
Thomas' services were held in the Methodist Church in Casper on June 9, 2007. The two Senate leaders, Majority Leader Harry Reid
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
(D-NV), and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :...
(R-KY), headed a delegation of some twenty members of Congress who came to pay respects to the deceased senator. Thomas' burial was in Riverside Cemetery in Cody on June 10.
Under Wyoming law, Governor Freudenthal was required to appoint a new senator from a list of three submitted by the Wyoming Republican Party
Wyoming Republican Party
The Wyoming Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Wyoming. In May 2007, Fred Parady was elected Chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party, Diana Vaughn is Vice Chair, and Judy Catchpole is Secretary. - Current elected officials :...
's central committee because the seat was vacated by a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. The GOP met on June 19, 2007 in Casper to select three candidates from thirty applicants to send to the governor. Tom Sansonetti
Tom Sansonetti
Thomas Lawrence Sansonetti, known as Tom Sansonetti , is an attorney and a government official from the U.S. state of Wyoming. He now resides in Greenwood Village, a suburb of Denver, Colorado....
, former state Treasurer Cynthia Lummis
Cynthia Lummis
Cynthia Marie Lummis Wiederspahn is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Republican Party. She previously served as a state representative , state senator , and state treasurer .-Early life:Lummis was born on September 10, 1954 in Cheyenne...
, and State Senator John Barrasso
John Barrasso
John Anthony Barrasso is the junior U.S. Senator from Wyoming and a member of the Republican Party. He was appointed to the Senate following Craig L. Thomas's death and won a special election in 2008 to fill the remaining four years of Thomas's term....
were nominated. On June 22, 2007 Governor Dave Freudenthal
Dave Freudenthal
David Duane "Dave" Freudenthal , is an American politician who served as the 31st Governor of Wyoming. A Democrat, he was reelected to his second term on November 7, 2006, and announced on March 4, 2010, that he would not attempt to seek a third term as Governor.-Education and early...
appointed Barrasso as Thomas's successor in the U.S. Senate.
Senator Thomas has been honored posthumously by having the Visitor Center in Grand Teton National Park named for him. The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, in Moose
Moose, Wyoming
Moose is an unincorporated community in Teton County, Wyoming, United States, in the Jackson Hole valley. It has a US Post Office, with the zip code of 83012. The town is located within Grand Teton National Park along the banks of the Snake River...
, Wyoming, was dedicated on August 11, 2007, with many dignitaries attending, including Vice President Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
.
External links
- WyomingNews.com
- CasperStartTribune.net, Friends and associates remember Craig Thomas