John S. Wold | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWyoming'sat-large district | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | William H. Harrison |
| Succeeded by | Teno Roncalio |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Schiller Wold (1916-08-31)August 31, 1916 East Orange,New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | February 19, 2017(2017-02-19) (aged 100) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | Union College,Cornell University |
John Schiller Wold (August 31, 1916 – February 19, 2017) was an American business executive,philanthropist,World War II veteran, andRepublican politician fromWyoming. He served a single term in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1971.[1] He was the first professionalgeologist to have served in Congress.[2]
John Wold was born on August 31, 1916, inEast Orange,New Jersey. His father Peter Irving Wold was the chairman of the department of physics atUnion College inSchenectady, New York.[2] His father and five aunts had grown up inEugene, Oregon and earned their degrees at theUniversity of Oregon.[3]
Wold graduated from Union College inSchenectady, New York in 1938 andCornell University in 1939 with degrees in geology.[4] DuringWorld War II, he served as a consulting physicist and gunnery officer for theU.S. Navy.[4]
In 1949, he moved to Wyoming to work for an oil company and founded his own company, Wold Oil Properties, a year later.[5] Wold founded Wold Oil Properties, Inc. in 1950 inCasper, Wyoming.
He entered politics in 1956, winning a seat to the Wyoming House of Representatives. He served one term from 1957 to 1959 and was the state's Republican chairman from 1960 to 1964. In 1964, he ran for the U.S. Senate against freshman incumbent DemocratGale McGee, who won by a 54% to 46% margin.
In 1968, he narrowly defeated on-again, off-again CongressmanWilliam Henry Harrison in the Republican primary before winning a decisive general election victory. Two years later, he gave up his House seat to run against incumbent Sen.Gale McGee again.He lost the race by 56% to 44% and returned to the private sector, but remained active as a Republican political donor.
In 2002, Wold made a $20 million donation to his alma mater, Union College. The donation was at the time the biggest single contribution in the university's history.[2] The American Heritage Center at theUniversity of Wyoming named Wold as the "Wyoming Citizen of the Century" in the minerals, gas, and oil category in 1999. He also contributed $2 million to Cornell University.[2]
Wold and his eponymous foundation contributed $7.5 million to theOregon Health & Science University's Casey Eye Institute inPortland, Oregon. The donation was dedicated to a new center with the mission of fighting the onset of adult blindness brought on bymacular degeneration, a disease from which Wold had suffered for the last 20 years of his life.[3]
John Wold died on February 19, 2017, in Casper at the age of 100.[2] Wold Oil Company is now operated by his son, Peter. Another son, Jack, is chief executive officer of an energy company inDenver, Colorado.[3]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromWyoming (Class 1) 1964,1970 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromWyoming's at-large congressional district 1969 – 1971 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Oldest living United States representative (Sitting or former) December 10, 2016 – February 19, 2017 | Succeeded by |
| Territorial (1869–1890) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Oneat-large seat (1890–present) | ||
