Elton Trowbridge
Encyclopedia
Elton F. Trowbridge was a dairy farmer from Carbon County
, Wyoming, who served as a Democrat
in the Wyoming House of Representatives
from 1961 until his death during his seventh consecutive two-year term.
Trowbridge was born to Henry Albert Trowbridge and the former Etta Bradeen. The 1910 census shows 6-year-old Elton Trowbridge living in Holt in Gage County
near Beatrice
in southeastern Nebraska
. On May 21, 1927, Trowbridge married the former Anna Irene Kohr. The 1930 census showed Trowbridge residing in Nuckolls County
, Nebraska. In 1935, Elton and Irene were teachers and farmers who moved with their son and daughter from Superior
in Nuckolls County to Carbon County (seat of government: Rawlins
) in southern Wyoming. There, the couple purchased a dairy farm on Cow Creek near the community of Saratoga
. Elton and his son, Thomas E. Trowbridge
, worked the farm for the remaining years of Elton’s life. Nearly five years after his father's death, Thomas Trowbridge, an agriculture graduate of the University of Wyoming
at Laramie
, was elected to the same seat in the Wyoming House that Elton had previously held. By that time, Thomas Trowbridge had moved to Grand Encampment
in Carbon County. Like his father, Thomas Trowbridge was a Democrat. After he served two terms in the House, the younger Trowbridge advanced to a single four-year term in the state Senate from 1983-1986. He later served in the gubernatorial administration of Michael J. Sullivan and as Wyoming state director of the United States Department of Agriculture
under U.S. President Bill Clinton
.
During hs tenure in the Wyoming House, Trowbridge served on many committees though not all simultaneously, including (1) Public Lands & Water Resources, (2) House Rules and Procedures, (3) Education, (4) Game and Fish, (5) Livestock and Agriculture, and (6) City and County Affairs. In 1967, Trowbridge and Republican
Representative Harold Hellbaum
, later the House Speaker
, were part of a bipartisan coalition seeking to bring public television to Wyoming. Their pioneering work did not pay practical dividends until 1983, when Wyoming launced its first PBS
station in Riverton
. Wyoming was the 49th state to have public television; Montana
followed in 50th place.
Trowbridge and his wife, who survived him, are interred at Saratoga Cemetery.
Carbon County, Wyoming
Carbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of 2010, the population was 15,885. Its county seat is Rawlins.- History :Carbon County was organized in 1868....
, Wyoming, who served as a Democrat
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...
in the Wyoming House of Representatives
Wyoming House of Representatives
The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal amount of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of at least 9,000. The House convenes at the Wyoming...
from 1961 until his death during his seventh consecutive two-year term.
Trowbridge was born to Henry Albert Trowbridge and the former Etta Bradeen. The 1910 census shows 6-year-old Elton Trowbridge living in Holt in Gage County
Gage County, Nebraska
-History:Gage County was formed with land taken from the Oto in an 1854 treaty. It was named after the minister William D. Gage.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 22,993 people, 9,316 households, and 6,204 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per...
near Beatrice
Beatrice, Nebraska
Beatrice is a city in and the county seat of Gage County, Nebraska.Beatrice is located south of Lincoln on the Big Blue River. It is surrounded by agricultural country. The population was 12,459 at the 2010 census.-History:...
in southeastern Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. On May 21, 1927, Trowbridge married the former Anna Irene Kohr. The 1930 census showed Trowbridge residing in Nuckolls County
Nuckolls County, Nebraska
Nuckolls County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 4,500. Its county seat is Nelson....
, Nebraska. In 1935, Elton and Irene were teachers and farmers who moved with their son and daughter from Superior
Superior, Nebraska
Superior is a city in Nuckolls County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,957.Superior bills itself as the "Victorian Capital of Nebraska", and holds an annual Victorian Festival...
in Nuckolls County to Carbon County (seat of government: Rawlins
Rawlins, Wyoming
Rawlins is a city in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,538 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carbon County...
) in southern Wyoming. There, the couple purchased a dairy farm on Cow Creek near the community of Saratoga
Saratoga, Wyoming
Saratoga is a town in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,736 at the 2000 census.Saratoga is the home of the Steinley Cup microbrew competition, usually held in August at Veterans Island Park, a playground and picnic facility located on a small island in the North Platte...
. Elton and his son, Thomas E. Trowbridge
Thomas E. Trowbridge
Thomas E. Trowbridge, known as Tom Trowbridge , originally a dairy farmer from Carbon County, Wyoming, served as a Democrat in both houses of the Wyoming State Legislature from 1979 to 1986. He was a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives for two two-year terms, and he served a single...
, worked the farm for the remaining years of Elton’s life. Nearly five years after his father's death, Thomas Trowbridge, an agriculture graduate of 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...
at 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....
, was elected to the same seat in the Wyoming House that Elton had previously held. By that time, Thomas Trowbridge had moved to Grand Encampment
Grand Encampment, Wyoming
Grand Encampment is a town in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 443 at the 2000 census.-History:Known also as "Encampment", this town along the Colorado-Wyoming border was, at the turn of the twentieth century, a booming center of copper mining and smelting...
in Carbon County. Like his father, Thomas Trowbridge was a Democrat. After he served two terms in the House, the younger Trowbridge advanced to a single four-year term in the state Senate from 1983-1986. He later served in the gubernatorial administration of Michael J. Sullivan and as Wyoming state director of the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
under U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
During hs tenure in the Wyoming House, Trowbridge served on many committees though not all simultaneously, including (1) Public Lands & Water Resources, (2) House Rules and Procedures, (3) Education, (4) Game and Fish, (5) Livestock and Agriculture, and (6) City and County Affairs. In 1967, Trowbridge and 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...
Representative Harold Hellbaum
Harold Hellbaum
Harold Hellbaum was a prominent farmer, rancher, and businessman in Platte County near Wheatland north of Cheyenne who was a Republican member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1963-1977...
, later the House Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
, were part of a bipartisan coalition seeking to bring public television to Wyoming. Their pioneering work did not pay practical dividends until 1983, when Wyoming launced its first PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
station in Riverton
Riverton, Wyoming
Riverton is a city in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. It is both the largest city in the county and the largest within the historical boundaries of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The city's population was 9,310 at the 2000 census...
. Wyoming was the 49th state to have public television; Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
followed in 50th place.
Trowbridge and his wife, who survived him, are interred at Saratoga Cemetery.