Joseph Meyer (Wyoming politician)
Joseph Meyer | |
---|---|
28th Mike Sullivan | |
Preceded by | Arch McClintock |
Succeeded by | William U. Hill |
Personal details | |
Born | Joseph Brown Meyer April 22, 1941 Casper, Wyoming, U.S. |
Died | October 6, 2012 Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S. | (aged 71)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Mary Orr (m. 1966) |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Wyoming (BA, JD) |
Profession | Lawyer |
Joseph Brown Meyer (April 22, 1941 – October 6, 2012) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Wyoming.
Background
Meyer was born in 1941 in
Political career
In 1971, Meyer returned to public service when he was selected to serve as the first assistant director of the Legislative Service Office in
In Wyoming, the attorney general is chosen by the governor and not elected. Attorney General Meyer forged an agreement with
In 1998, Meyer was elected Secretary of State. He was reelected in 2002 and served in that position from 1999 until 2007. The Wyoming secretary of state is also the acting lieutenant governor. He pushed for statewide voter registration so that the voting histories of Wyoming residents follow them whenever they move.[1] In 2006, he was elected state Treasurer. He was re-elected in 2010, having served from 2007 until his death in 2012.
Wyoming's state treasurer manages the state's $14 billion portfolio and is, ex officio, a member of the Wyoming Retirement Board, the State Loan and Investment Board, the State Board of Land Commissioners, and the State Canvassing Board.
Personal life and death
Meyer and his wife, the former Mary Orr, wed on September 3, 1966. The couple had two sons, Vince and Warren Meyer, and two grandsons, Ethan and Devin Meyer, all of Cheyenne.[4]
Meyer was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009. In January 2012, he missed several weeks of work for successful brain surgery to extract cancer deposits. However, he died from lung cancer on October 6, 2012, aged 71, at the Davis Hospice Center in Cheyenne.
Legacy
Governor Mead termed Meyer's death a "tremendous loss" for the state and ordered that U.S. and Wyoming flags be flown at half-staff, sunrise to sunset, for two weeks in Meyer's honor. Mead said that Meyer "cared deeply about his this state and its people and always put Wyoming first. His legacy of service is unmatched. He will be remembered for his wisdom and his wit."[2]
Former Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney, who attended Natrona County High School and the University of Wyoming with Meyer, recalled that the two had also shared a small one-bedroom apartment in Laramie. After Cheney was elected in 1978 to the U.S. House, he offered Meyer the chief of staff position, but Meyer told him, "Dick, I'll never leave Wyoming.... I wanted to be involved in public life and public service, but ... my future lies in Wyoming, and I want to be here for the state and the people of Wyoming."[3]
Former Governor
A service was held in the state capitol rotunda in Cheyenne six days later on October 18, 2012, after which time Meyer lay in state until 6 pm. A memorial service followed the next day at Cheyenne Hills Church, a
References
- ^ a b c d "Joan Barron, "Wyoming State Treasurer Joe Meyer's career arc left tracks", October 9, 2012". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Trevor Brown, "State treasurer, longtime state official Joe Meyer dies"". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved October 7, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "Trevor Brown, "Cheney remembers Meyer"". Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ a b "State Treasurer Joe Meyer dies after battle with cancer". Casper Star-Tribune. October 6, 2012.
- ^ "Cheyenne Hills Church (Our History)". cheyennehills.org. Retrieved October 15, 2012.