Dave Freudenthal

David Duane Freudenthal (born October 12, 1950) is an American attorney, economist, and politician who served as the 31st Governor of Wyoming from 2003 to 2011. As of 2020, he is the last Democrat to have served as Governor of Wyoming.

Dave Freudenthal
31st Governor of Wyoming
In office January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Jim Geringer
Succeeded by	Matt Mead
United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming
In office 1994–2001
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Richard Stacy
Succeeded by	Matt Mead
Personal details
Born	David Duane Freudenthal (1950-10-12) October 12, 1950 Thermopolis, Wyoming, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Nancy Roan
Children	4
Education	Amherst College (BA) University of Wyoming (JD)

Biography

Education and early life

Dave Freudenthal was born in Thermopolis, the seat of Hot Springs County in north central Wyoming, the seventh of eight children, and grew up on a farm north of town. He graduated in 1973 from Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, with a bachelor's degree in economics. After graduating he joined the Department of Economic Planning and Development as an economist and later became the state planning director for Governor Edgar Herschler.

Freudenthal entered the University of Wyoming College of Law, receiving his law degree in 1980, and went into private practice.

Political career

In 1994, he was appointed United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming upon the recommendation of then-Governor Mike Sullivan. Freudenthal left the post of U.S. Attorney in May 2001.

Freudenthal was elected Governor of Wyoming on November 5, 2002. He was reelected to a second term on November 7, 2006, beating his opponent by nearly 40%. In June 2007, he appointed John Barrasso to the United States Senate following the death of Craig Thomas. Freudenthal announced on March 4, 2010 that he would not attempt to seek a third term as governor.[1]

Despite being a Democrat in one of the most Republican states in the country (John McCain had won 65% of the vote in the previous presidential election[2]), Freudenthal remained consistently popular with his constituents throughout his tenure. As governor he often took rather conservative positions, leading to squabbles with federal officials and environmental groups.[3] His two terms also oversaw an enormous energy boom and surpluses in government revenue, although later on Freudenthal called for cuts to state agencies as growth slowed.[4] In fact, Freudenthal and his eventual Republican successor, Matt Mead, notably held similar positions on various issues.[5]

On April 2, 2008, Freudenthal endorsed Democrat Barack Obama of Illinois for the party's presidential nomination, having cited "Obama's style of leadership and openness to discussion." Obama won the 2008 Wyoming Democratic caucus by a 61.44-37.83 margin over then U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York.

After retiring as governor, Freudenthal briefly worked at the law firm of Crowell & Moring as Senior Counsel in the firm's now-defunct Cheyenne, Wyoming office.[6]

Personal life

Freudenthal is married to Nancy D. Freudenthal, a native of Cody, who serves as a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming. They have four children: Donald, Hillary, Bret, and Katie.

Electoral history

Wyoming Gubernatorial Election - 2006

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Dave Freudenthal	135,516	69.89%	+ 19.93
	Republican	Ray Hunkins	58,100	29.97%

Wyoming Gubernatorial Election - 2002

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Dave Freudenthal	92,662	49.96%
	Republican	Eli Bebout	88,873	47.92%
	Libertarian	Dave Dawson	3,924	2.12%

Notes

1. "US News - Mar 04, 2010 - Wyoming Gov. Freudenthal won't seek third term". RealClearPolitics. March 4, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/15/AR2009021501918.html
3. http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/outgoing-wyoming-gov-dave-freudenthal-credits-success-to-family-co/article_8d7553bd-07d3-5554-88e4-54352dc8a0fb.html
4. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/ap/us_news/2010/Mar/04/wyoming_gov__freudenthal_won_t_seek_third_term.html
5. http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/outgoing-wyoming-gov-dave-freudenthal-credits-success-to-family-co/article_8d7553bd-07d3-5554-88e4-54352dc8a0fb.html
6. "Dave Freudenthal". Crowell & Moring. Archived from the original on August 24, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Party political offices
Preceded by John Vinich	Democratic nominee for Governor of Wyoming 2002, 2006	Succeeded by Leslie Petersen
Political offices
Preceded by Jim Geringer	Governor of Wyoming 2003–2011	Succeeded by Matt Mead