Thomas Lee Judge | |
|---|---|
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| 18th Governor of Montana | |
| In office January 1, 1973 – January 5, 1981 | |
| Lieutenant | Bill Christiansen Ted Schwinden |
| Preceded by | Forrest H. Anderson |
| Succeeded by | Ted Schwinden |
| 25thLieutenant Governor of Montana | |
| In office January 6, 1969 – January 1, 1973 | |
| Governor | Forrest H. Anderson |
| Preceded by | Ted James |
| Succeeded by | Bill Christiansen |
| 11thChair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association | |
| In office 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Roger Jepsen |
| Succeeded by | Martin J. Schreiber |
| Member of theMontana Senate | |
| In office 1967-1969 | |
| Member of theMontana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1961–1967 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1934-10-12)October 12, 1934 Helena, Montana, U.S. |
| Died | September 8, 2006(2006-09-08) (aged 71) Chandler, Arizona, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1958-1964 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Reserves United States Army Adjutant General Corps |
Thomas Lee Judge (October 12, 1934 – September 8, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 18thgovernor of Montana from 1973 to 1981. A member of theDemocratic Party, he previously served as the 25thlieutenant governor of Montana from 1969 to 1973.
Judge was born inHelena, Montana. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from theUniversity of Notre Dame and did his graduate study at theUniversity of Louisville. He graduated from theUnited States Army Adjutant General School atFort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana.[1]
Judge marriedCarol Anderson in 1966. The couple had two sons, Thomas Warren Judge and Patrick Lane Judge.[2][3] The Judges, who were serving as governor andfirst lady of Montana, separated in the fall of 1979 and divorced during the winter of 1980.[4] Judge then married his second wife, Suzan Koch, in 1981.[1][2] Judge and Koch separated in 2003.[2]
Judge was asecond lieutenant in theUS Army and a captain in the US Army Adjutant General Corps and in the US Army Reserves from 1958 to 1964. In 1960, he became president and owner of a public relations firm.
Judge served in theMontana House of Representatives from 1961 to 1967 and in theMontana Senate from 1967 to 1969, and as 22ndLieutenant Governor of Montana from 1969 to 1973.
In1972, when incumbentGovernor of MontanaForrest Anderson declined to run for a second term, Judge ran to succeed him. He defeated several opponents in theDemocratic primary, and advanced to the general election, where he comfortably defeatedRepublican nominee Ed Smith, a rancher and legislator fromDagmar, Montana.[2] Judge was 38 years old at the time of his election as governor.[2]
When Judge ran for re-election in1976, he was opposed byState Attorney General Bob Woodahl, whom he defeated in a landslide. He ran for re-election for a third consecutive term in1980, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by hislieutenant governor,Ted Schwinden, who went on to win the general election. During his tenure as governor, Judge served on theexecutive committee of theNational Governors Association and was chair of theWestern Governors Conference.[1]
When Schwinden declined to seek re-election to a third term in1988, Judge ran to succeed him, and won a competitive and crowded Democratic primary. In the general election,Stan Stephens, the former President of theMontana Senate and theRepublican nominee, defeated Judge by a slim margin.
Judge died inChandler, Arizona, on September 8, 2006, at the age of 71. He is interred at Resurrection Cemetery inHelena, Montana.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ??? | Democratic nominee forLieutenant Governor of Montana 1968 | Succeeded by Bill Christiansen |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Montana 1972,1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Montana 1988 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Montana January 6, 1969 – January 1, 1973 | Succeeded by Bill Christiansen |
| Preceded by | Governor of Montana January 1, 1973 – January 5, 1981 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
