Mark Gordon (politician)

Mark Gordon (born March 14, 1957) is an American politician serving since 2019 as the 33rd governor of Wyoming. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as state treasurer; he was appointed to that position by then-Governor Matt Mead on October 26, 2012, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Joseph Meyer.

This article is about the 33rd Governor of Wyoming. For other people with the same name, see Mark Gordon (disambiguation).

Mark Gordon
33rd Governor of Wyoming
Incumbent
Assumed office January 7, 2019
Preceded by	Matt Mead
29th Treasurer of Wyoming
In office November 1, 2012 – January 7, 2019
Governor	Matt Mead
Preceded by	Joseph Meyer
Succeeded by	Curt Meier
Personal details
Born	(1957-03-14) March 14, 1957 New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sarah Hildreth Gilmore ​ ( m. 1981; died 1993) Jennie Muir ( m. 2000)
Children	4
Residence	Governor's Mansion
Education	Middlebury College (BA)

Background

Gordon was born in New York City, New York, the son of Catherine (Andrews) and Crawford Gordon,[1] ranchers from Kaycee[2] in Johnson County, located in northern Wyoming. Reared on the Gordon Ranch, Gordon is still affiliated with the 48 Ranch Partnership in Kaycee.

He graduated from St. Paul's School, an Episcopalian boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire, and Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, where he met his first wife, the former Sarah Hildreth Gilmore. The couple married on March 7, 1981, in the Second Congregational Church in Greenfield, Massachusetts, where her parents resided.

After graduating from college in 1979, he returned to Wyoming and worked on his family ranch before starting his own operation. Mark ran several successful businesses in Buffalo and Sheridan including two operations focused on outdoor recreation and tourism. He later worked in the oil and gas industry. In 1993, Gordon's first wife died in an automobile accident.[3] After his wife was killed he focused on raising his two daughters who were four and two years old at the time.

Gordon met his current wife, the former Jennie Muir Young, in 1998 and they were married in 2000. Together they own the Merlin Ranch east of Buffalo, also in Johnson County, Wyoming. In 2009, their ranch received the Society for Range Management Wyoming Section "Excellence in Rangeland Stewardship" award.[4] They have four grown children: two sons and two daughters.

Gordon has been volunteering and serving in leadership positions for important Wyoming causes for nearly forty years. He is currently on the boards of Volunteers of America Northern Rockies, Ucross Foundation and Willow Park Reservoir Company. He was previously on the Johnson County School Board, Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, Wyoming Stock Growers Tax Committee, Wyoming Environmental Quality Council, Wyoming Council for the Humanities, Northern Wyoming Mental Health Center, Powder River Conservation District, Johnson County Republican Party and the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture Sheridan Research and Extension Center Advisory Board.[5]

Congressional run

In 2008, Gordon was an unsuccessful candidate in the Republican primary for the United States House of Representatives for Wyoming's at-large congressional district seat held by Cynthia Lummis, also a former state treasurer and the wife of a Democratic former state representative, Alvin Wiederspahn.[6] Former U.S. senator Alan K. Simpson of Cody, considered a moderate Republican, defended Gordon's candidacy though he stopped short of an outright endorsement because he is also friendly with Lummis. Nevertheless, former U.S. senator Malcolm Wallop did endorse Gordon as did the late Joseph B. Meyer, who was serving as state treasurer at the time.[7]

In the primary, Gordon garnered the endorsements of the Wyoming's two most prominent statewide newspapers: The Casper Star-Tribune[8] and the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.[9] Though polls and the financial advantage rested with Gordon in the primary campaign, he nevertheless lost the party nomination to Lummis.[10]

State treasurer

Mead said that his selection of Gordon as the state treasurer over two other candidates proposed by the Wyoming Republican State Central Committee was based on Gordon's financial background and long-term commitment to the state. The treasurer manages the state's $15 billion in investments. Severance taxes on energy production are particularly important to the state budget.[6][11]

Gordon was sworn in as treasurer on November 1, 2012, by Wyoming Supreme Court Justice William Hill.[11][12]

Gordon was elected to a full term as treasurer in the 2014 Republican primary election.[11]

Under Gordon's leadership, Wyoming's portfolio grew from $15 billion to nearly $21 billion.[13] Nationally, Mark was elected to serve as Western Regional Vice President of the National Association of State Treasurers. He has earned recognition three years running for his leadership and expertise.[5] The Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute named him one of the "Top 100 Most Significant and Impactful Asset Owners and Public Executives." [14] In 2016, under Gordon's leadership, Wyoming's portfolio was ranked 3rd in the world for transparency by the Peterson Institute for International Economics.[15]

As state treasurer, Gordon had success modernizing and professionalizing the office of state treasurer. Working with voters and the Wyoming Legislature, Gordon helped craft an amendment to Wyoming's Constitution which would allow the Legislature to designate certain funds of the State to be invested in stocks as well as bonds. The amendment passed in 2016.[16]

Governor of Wyoming

See also: 2018 Wyoming gubernatorial election

Election

Gordon declined to run for Cynthia Lummis's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016, the same seat he ran for in 2008, and instead ran for governor of Wyoming in 2018. He won the Republican primary on August 21, 2018 and then won the general election on November 6, 2018, defeating Democratic state representative Mary Throne.[17] Gordon was inaugurated on January 7, 2019.

Tenure

Gordon was sworn in on January 7, 2019.

Electoral history

Gordon at a Campbell County candidates' forum in 2018.

Wyoming Congressional At-Large District Republican Primary Election, 2008
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Cynthia Lummis	33,149	46.24
Republican	Mark Gordon	26,827	37.42
Republican	Bill Winney	8,537	11.91
Republican	Michael Holland	3,171	4.42

Wyoming Treasurer Republican Primary Election, 2014
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Mark Gordon (inc.)	75,095	88.09
Republican	Ron Redo	9,945	11.67
Republican	Write-ins	206	0.24

Wyoming Treasurer Election, 2014
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Mark Gordon (inc.)	138,831	99.10
Write-ins	Write-ins	1,262	0.90

References

2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. "Sarah Hildreth Gordon". geni_family_tree. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
4. "Merlin Ranch sponsors Wyoming Women's Antelope Hunt - Wyoming Women's Antelope Hunt". Retrieved February 16, 2019.
5. "Mark Gordon : Wyoming State Treasurer" (PDF). Statetreasurer.wyo.org. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
6. "Trevor Brown, "Mead selects treasurer"". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. October 27, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
7. "Sen. Wallop endorses Mark Gordon". Wyomingpublicmedia.org. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
8. "Gordon has Edge in Republican Primary". Casper Star Tribune. August 17, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
9. "US House (GOP) Recommendation". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. August 11, 2008. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
10. "Marguerite Herman, "Gordon's run for Congress draws criticism", May 2008". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
11. "Mark Gordon takes oath as Wyoming treasurer". Gillette, Wyoming, News Record. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
12. "Doug Randall, "Gordon sworn in as treasurer"". kgab.com. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
13. Investment Reports, Statetreasurer.wyo.gov.
14. "Public Investor 100 – 2015 - SWFI - Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute". Swfinstitute.org. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
15. "PB 16-18 Uneven Progress on Sovereign Wealth Fund Transparency and Accountability" (PDF). Piie.com. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
16. "State Treasurer Gordon Reacts to Passage of Constitutional Amendment - SheridanMedia.com". Sheridanmedia.com. June 24, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
17. Reynolds, Nick (November 7, 2018). "Wyoming governor-elect Gordon outlines vision for his first year in office". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2018.

External links

• Wyoming State Treasurer's Office

Political offices
Preceded by Joseph Meyer	Treasurer of Wyoming 2012–2019	Succeeded by Curt Meier
Preceded by Matt Mead	Governor of Wyoming 2019–present	Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Matt Mead	Republican nominee for Governor of Wyoming 2018	Most recent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Mike Pence as Vice President	Order of Precedence of the United States Within Wyoming	Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held
		Succeeded by Otherwise Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Brad Little as Governor of Idaho	Order of Precedence of the United States Outside Wyoming	Succeeded by Gary Herbert as Governor of Utah