Craig L. Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2005 | |
| United States Senator fromWyoming | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – June 4, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Malcolm Wallop |
| Succeeded by | John Barrasso |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWyoming'sat-large district | |
| In office May 2, 1989 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Dick Cheney |
| Succeeded by | Barbara Cubin |
| Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives forNatrona County | |
| In office January 8, 1985 – May 2, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Stewart |
| Succeeded by | Bruce Hinchey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Craig Lyle Thomas (1933-02-17)February 17, 1933 Cody, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Died | June 4, 2007(2007-06-04) (aged 74) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Resting place | Riverside Cemetery Cody, Wyoming |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Leona M. Francis (divorced), and Susan Roberts Thomas |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | University of Wyoming |
| Occupation | Rancher |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1955–1959 |
| Rank | Captain |
Craig Lyle Thomas (February 17, 1933 – June 4, 2007)[1] was an American politician who served asUnited States Senator fromWyoming from 1995 until his death in 2007. He was a member of theRepublican Party. In the Senate, Thomas was considered an expert onagriculture and rural development. He had served in key positions in several state agencies, including a long tenure as Vice President of the WyomingFarm Bureau from 1965 to 1974. Thomas resided inCasper for twenty-eight years. In 1984, he was elected from Casper to theWyoming House of Representatives, in which he served until 1989.
In 1989,Dick Cheney, who occupied Wyoming's only seat in theHouse of Representatives, resigned to becomeSecretary of Defense. Thomas became the Republican candidate to succeed Cheney and won the April 1989special election. He was re-elected in1990 and1992, and in1994 he ran for and won the Senate seat being vacated by fellowconservative RepublicanMalcolm Wallop ofSheridan in northeastern Wyoming. He was re-elected in2000 and2006, having easily beatenDemocratic candidates in both elections with 70 percent of the vote.
Thomas was married to Leona M. Francis on February 22, 1955, in Uinta, Wyoming. The couple had three sons and one daughter, as well as nine grandchildren. They later divorced. Thomas later married the former Susan Roberts, a public school teacher for special-needs students inArlington, Virginia.[citation needed]
Thomas graduated from theUniversity of Wyoming inLaramie with a degree inanimal husbandry. At the university he was a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity. Thereafter, he served as an officer in theUnited States Marine Corps from 1955 to 1959; he attained the rank ofCaptain.[2] He obtained a law degree fromLa Salle Extension University, though he did not list it on later official biographies.[3]
In addition to his work with the Farm Bureau, he was general manager of the WyomingRural Electrification Administration. After four years in the Wyoming House, Thomas wona special election on April 26, 1989, to replaceDick Cheney as Wyoming's lone member of theUnited States House of Representatives. He resigned as a state representative effective May 2, 1989 and took his seat in the U.S. House on the same day.[4][5] He was re-elected to that seat in 1990 and 1992. In 1994, he ran for theUnited States Senate and won, defeating popularDemocraticGovernorMike 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 GovernorDave Freudenthal was also winning with the same 70 percent margin.[6]
As chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee, Thomas authored legislation to provide funding and management reforms to protect America'snational parks into the 21st century. For this and other relevant legislation, Thomas was honored by theNational Parks Conservation Association with their William Penn Mott Jr., Park Leadership Award,[7] as well as the National Parks Achievement Award. As the senior member of the Senate's influentialFinance Committee, Thomas had been involved in issues such asSocial Security, trade, rural health care, and tax reform. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Thomas was instrumental in passing the Central America Free Trade Agreement.[8] As co-chair of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, Thomas worked on legislation to improve health care opportunities for rural families.
Thomas entered the hospital shortly before the balloting occurred in November 2006 and was initially treated forpneumonia. Two days after the 2006 election, Thomas' diagnosis ofleukemia was announced.[9]He immediately underwent treatment in the form ofchemotherapy at the hospital and then returned to work in December, a month earlier than expected.[10] 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 atBethesda Naval Medical Center inBethesda, Maryland.[11] Thomas was pronounced dead that same day from complications of leukemia at 9:53 PM EST.[9]
Thomas' services were held in the Methodist Church in Casper on June 9, 2007. The two Senate leaders, Majority LeaderHarry Reid (D-NV), and Minority LeaderMitch 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 theWyoming Republican Party's central committee because the seat was vacated by aRepublican.[12] 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 TreasurerCynthia Lummis, and State SenatorJohn Barrasso were nominated. On June 22, 2007, GovernorDave Freudenthal appointed Barrasso as Thomas's successor in the U.S. Senate.
Thomas has been honored posthumously by having the Visitor Center inGrand Teton National Park named for him. The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, inMoose, Wyoming, was dedicated on August 11, 2007, with many dignitaries attending, including Vice PresidentDick Cheney.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromWyoming (Class 1) 1994,2000,2006 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromWyoming's at-large congressional district April 26, 1989–January 3, 1995 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Wyoming January 3, 1995 – June 4, 2007 Served alongside:Alan Simpson,Mike Enzi | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
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| Class 2 | ||
| Territorial (1869–1890) |  | |
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| Oneat-large seat (1890–present) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
