Teno Roncalio
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWyoming'sat-large district
In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967
Preceded by	William Henry Harrison III
Succeeded by	William Henry Harrison III
In office January 3, 1971 – December 30, 1978
Preceded by	John S. Wold
Succeeded by	Dick Cheney
Personal details
Born	Celeste Domenico Roncaglio (1916-03-23)March 23, 1916 Rock Springs, Wyoming, U.S.
Died	March 30, 2003(2003-03-30) (aged 87) Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Cecilia Waters Domenico
Children	6
Parents	Frank Roncalio (father) Ernesta Roncalio (mother)
Education	University of Wyoming
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Captain
Unit	18th Infantry Regiment
Awards	Silver Star

Teno Domenico Roncalio (bornCeleste Domenico Roncaglio; March 23, 1916 – March 30, 2003), was an American politician and writer who served in theUnited States House of Representatives. To date, he is the lastDemocrat to have represented Wyoming in Congress.^[1]

During the 1950s and 1960s, Roncalio served in multiple positions within the Wyoming Democratic Party. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1964, and served until he unsuccessfully ran for the United States Senate in 1966. Roncalio was elected to the House of Representatives in 1970, and served until he announced that he would not seek reelection in 1978.

Roncalio held positions in environmental committees duringJohn F. Kennedy's administration and in the 1980s. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, he supported multiple environmental bills and was a staunchopponent of American involvement in the Vietnam War. After leaving the House of Representatives he remained active in politics and helped some of the remaining successful campaigns of theWyoming Democratic Party before his death.

Celeste Domenico Roncaglio was born on March 23, 1916, inRock Springs, Wyoming, to Frank and Ernesta Roncalio, Italians who had immigrated to the United States in 1903.^[2] His family later removed the G in their last name; he was known by thediminutive "Celestino", so was given the nickname "Tino" as a child, which later became Teno.^[3] In 1933, he earned his barber's license and after high school he worked as a reporter for theRock Springs Rocket-Miner.^[4] He enlisted into the army following Pearl Harbor and duringWorld War II he fought at theBattle of Gela and was later awarded aSilver Star for gallantry in theNormandy invasion onOmaha Beach. In 1945, he was discharged from the army with the rank of captain.^[5]

In 1940, he started editing the Wyoming Collegiate features which were published by theCasper Tribune-Herald newspaper.^[6] While in college, he was elected as president of the student body, joined theYoung Democrats, and SenatorJoseph C. O'Mahoney offered him a job inWashington, D.C.^[7] In 1947, he graduated from the University of Wyoming with a law degree.^[8]

In 1950, he began working as editor of theWyoming Labor Journal. He served as the prosecuting attorney forLaramie County from 1950 to 1956. In 1957, he was elected as chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party. Later that year GovernorMilward Simpson proposed a civil rights bill that Roncalio had drafted after seeing a black couple being removed from a restaurant.^[9] He also served as a delegate to the1956,1960,1964, and1968 Democratic National Conventions. In 1958, it was speculated that he might be a possibleAttorney General appointee, but on December 3, 1958, he stated that he did not want to be appointed to the office.^[10]

As Chairman of the Wyoming delegation to the 1960 Convention, he cast the fifteen votes which gaveJohn F. Kennedy the minimum amount needed to win the Democratic presidential nomination.^[11] Following Senator-electEdwin Keith Thomson's death Kennedy asked GovernorJohn J. Hickey to appoint Roncalio to fill the Senate vacancy, but he chose to instead appoint himself.^[12] Kennedy later appointed him as chairman of theInternational Joint Commission on Water Rights between the United States and Canada in 1961 and served until 1964.^[13]

On April 28, 1964, he announced that he would run for the Democratic nomination for Wyoming's at-large congressional seat and in the general election he narrowly defeated incumbent RepresentativeWilliam Henry Harrison with the coattail effect of PresidentLyndon B. Johnson's victory inWyoming during the presidential election helping him.^[14][15]

Upon taking office he praised President Johnson for his state of the union speech and called it the "20th century restatement of the constitutional principles on which this nation is founded".^[16] During the89th session he served on the Interior andVeterans Affairs committees.^[17] On June 15, 1966, he formally announced that he would run for theU.S. Senate instead of seeking reelection, but was defeated in the general election byGovernorClifford P. Hansen.^[18][19]

After losing the Senate election Roncalio filed multiple affidavits forland claims around the Snake River and it was publicly revealed in 1972 that his land claims were estimated to hold $7 billion worth of gold.^[20]

In 1967, he was asked to run for the House again in the1968 election, but chose not to.^[21] During the1968 Democratic presidential primaries he supported SenatorRobert F. Kennedy and was a member of his staff. When Roncalio heard aboutRobert Kennedy's assassination he stated that "I can't think of anything appropriate newsworthy or decent to say".^[22] After Kennedy's death he supported theanti-Humphrey movement at the national convention.^[23][24][25] In April 1969, William A. Norris Jr., Wyoming's Democratic national committeeman, announced that he would resign and on May 5, 1969, Roncalio was selected to replace him by acclamation after Joe Stewart, the only other candidate, withdrew two days before.^[26][27]

Teno Roncalio in 1965

Teno Roncalio in 1971

In 1969, he stated that he would not run against incumbent SenatorGale W. McGee in the Democratic primary and stated that he would either run for governor or the House.^[28] On June 23, 1970, he announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for Wyoming's at-large House seat. In the primary he easily defeated state representative and future governorEdgar Herschler and in the general election narrowly defeated stateSuperintendent of Public Instruction Harry Roberts by 608 votes.^[29][30]

Although he did not endorse him, Roncalio stated that SenatorEdmund Muskie was the most balanced candidate during the1972 Democratic presidential primaries, but later voted forGeorge McGovern at thenational convention inMiami Beach, Florida.^[31][32] Roncalio stated throughout 1971 that he would not run against Clifford P. Hansen for Senate again and on July 20, 1972, he filed to run for reelection and was reelected by a similar margin in the general election against Bill Kidd.^[33][34][35] On June 28, 1974, he announced that he would seek another term and defeated state senatorThomas F. Stroock by over 12,000 votes.^[36][37] In 1976, he won reelection against Larry J. Hart by almost 20,000 votes.^[38]

During theWatergate investigation he remained uncommitted until after the"smoking gun" tape was released and supported his impeachment.^[39] He stated that an impeachment trial should happen after a new vice president was confirmed afterSpiro Agnew's resignation and in 1973 he voted in favor of House Minority LeaderGerald Ford's appointment as vice president.^[40][41] Following Nixon's resignation and Ford's accession to the presidency Roncalio voted in favor ofNelson Rockefeller's appointment as vice president.^[42]

On September 17, 1977, he announced that he would not run for reelection while at a University of Wyoming football game and stated that he would not run for governor giving his support to former state representativeEdgar Herschler. In the 1978 election formerWhite House Chief of StaffDick Cheney easily won to succeed Roncalio and Roncalio resigned early on December 30, 1978.^[43][44]

He returned to Wyoming, where he served as Special Master in Wyoming's Big Horn adjudication of Indian Water Rights until 1982. In 1980, he endorsed Jim Rogers' house campaign, but Rogers was defeated in a landslide by Dick Cheney. In 1982, he endorsed Rodger McDaniel's unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign.^[45][46] In 1986, his wife served as co-chair ofKathy Karpan's successfulSecretary of State campaign and in 1990, he donated $1,000 toPete Maxfield's unsuccessful House campaign againstCraig L. Thomas.^[47][48]

In 1980, Roncalio explored for gold around theSnake River in Teton County.^[49] In 2002, the post office inRock Springs, Wyoming was named in his honor.^[50] On March 30, 2003, Roncalio died of congestive heart failure at the Life Care Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming and was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery. GovernorDave Freudenthal, former GovernorMike Sullivan, SenatorCraig L. Thomas, State Chief JusticeWilliam U. Hill, former Secretary of StateKathy Karpan, and other Wyoming political figures attended his funeral and a letter from SenatorTed Kennedy was read at the funeral.^[51]

In 1965, he introduced legislation to extend theNational Wool Act of 1954 through December 1972 in the House alongside Senator Gale McGee who introduced it in the Senate.^[52] In 1965, he introduced a bill that would have repealed Section 14B of theTaft–Hartley Act that prevents unions from negotiating contracts or legally binding documents requiring companies to fire workers who refuse to join the union, but it failed.^[53] In 1966, he proposed that every window on commercial airplanes should be turned into emergency exits and tried to get the Federal Aviation Administration to support his idea, but he was unsuccessful.^[54]

In July 1974, he voted for an amendment that would prevent the use of federal funds for abortions, but it was defeated on a vote of 123-247.^[55]

In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson suggested during hisstate of the union address that Congress should pass a constitutional amendment giving members of the House of Representatives four-year terms instead of the current two years and Roncalio supported the idea, but the constitutional amendment was unsuccessful.^[56]

In 1966, he introduced a resolution calling for the support of a constitutional amendment tolower the voting age.^[57] Although the resolution did not lead to a constitutional amendment Roncalio would later support the 26th amendment when he returned to the House of Representatives in 1971.^[58]

In 1965, he started efforts to have theAgate Fossil Beds established as a protected landscape. The fossil beds were authorized as a national monument by Congress in 1965, but would not be officially established until June 14, 1997.^[59][60] In 1972, he helped in the establishment ofFossil Butte National Monument as a protected landscape.^[61] In 1973, he successfully defeated efforts to use underground nuclear blasts to produce natural gas.^[62]

In 1965, he supported a bill created by RepresentativeOmar Burleson that would reduce the United States' importation of oil from 2,200,000 barrels by 375,000 barrels daily and increase domestic production of oil.^[63] In 1966, he supported an effort to remove funding for theHouse Un-American Activities Committee and created a resolution demanding that France pay back its $6 billion in war debts to the United States.^[64][65]

On February 12, 1965, Roncalio stated that the United States should continue its intervention in Vietnam despite threats by China to intervene and on April 5, 1965, supported an appropriations bill for the funding of a newAmerican Embassy in Saigon, South Vietnam to show that the United States would continue its involvement in the area.^[66][67]

However, when he returned to the House of Representatives in the 1970s he was staunchly against the Vietnam War. In 1969, he criticized Richard Nixon'sPeace with Honor plan as a "phony promise" and that the United States had failed in Vietnam and should withdraw its soldiers.^[68] On November 10, 1971, he voted for a budget amendment that would have halted all defense spending by November 15 stating that he would not vote for any defense spending until a Vietnam withdrawal date was set, but it was defeated with three hundred fifty six against.^[69] In February 1971, he was one of ninety nine to vote against a two-yearextension to the draft, but it was passed with two hundred ninety three in favor.^[70]

• United States Congress."Teno Roncalio (id: R000421)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Teno Roncalio atFind a Grave
• Teno Roncalio Papers at theAmerican Heritage Center
• Select Digital Collection of the Teno Roncalio Papers atAHC Digital Collections

• 1916 births
• 2003 deaths
• United States Army personnel of World War II
• Democratic Party United States representatives from Wyoming
• Military personnel from Wyoming
• Politicians from Rock Springs, Wyoming
• Recipients of the Silver Star
• State political party chairs of Wyoming
• United States Army soldiers
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