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
Assumed office
January 7, 2019
Preceded byMatt Mead
29th Treasurer of Wyoming
In office
November 1, 2012 – January 7, 2019
GovernorMatt Mead
Preceded byJoseph Meyer
Succeeded byCurt Meier
Personal details
Born (1957-03-14) March 14, 1957
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Sarah Hildreth Gilmore
​
​
(m. 1981; died 1993)​

Jennie Muir
​
(m. 2000)​
Children4
ResidenceGovernor's Mansion
EducationMiddlebury College (BA)

Background

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

2008 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.[3] Former U.S. senator Alan K. Simpson of Cody, considered a moderate Republican, defended Gordon's candidacy but stopped short of an outright endorsement because he was also friendly with Lummis. Former U.S. senator Malcolm Wallop endorsed Gordon, as did the late Joseph B. Meyer, who was serving as state treasurer at the time.[4]

In the primary, Gordon garnered the endorsements of Wyoming's two most prominent statewide newspapers, The Casper Star-Tribune[5] and the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.[6] Though polls and the financial advantage rested with Gordon in the primary campaign, he lost the nomination to Lummis.[7]

Treasurer of Wyoming

Gordon was Treasurer of Wyoming from 2012 to 2019. He was sworn in as treasurer on November 1, 2012, by Wyoming Supreme Court Justice William Hill,[8][9] after being selected by Governor Matt Mead.[3][8]

Gordon was elected to a full term as treasurer in 2014.[8]

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 one he ran for in 2008, and instead ran for governor of Wyoming in 2018. He won the Republican primary on August 21 and the general election on November 6, defeating Democratic state representative Mary Throne.[10] Gordon was inaugurated on January 7, 2019.

Tenure

Gordon was sworn in on January 7, 2019.

Amid a November 2020 spike in coronavirus cases, Gordon imposed some restrictions on indoor and outdoor public gatherings. He did not issue statewide face mask mandates, implement curfews, or temporarily close any businesses.[11] Gordon contracted COVID-19 later in the month.[12]

Electoral history
Governor Gordon in 2019.
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

Personal life

Gordon met his first wife, the former Sarah Hildreth Gilmore, at Middlebury College. They married on March 7, 1981, in the Second Congregational Church in Greenfield, Massachusetts, where her parents resided. In 1993, she died in an automobile accident.[13] He had two daughters with her.

In 1998 Gordon met his current wife, the former Jennie Muir Young, and they married in 2000. Together they own the Merlin Ranch east of Buffalo in Johnson County, Wyoming. In 2009, their ranch received the Society for Range Management Wyoming Section "Excellence in Rangeland Stewardship" award.[14]

On November 25, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gordon tested positive for the virus on the same day his office was to be reopened after an employee of his had tested positive earlier. Gordon's office remained closed temporarily for deep-cleaning after his diagnosis.[15]

References
  1. "Harvard Alumni Bulletin". December 8, 1945. Retrieved December 8, 2020 – via Google Books.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Trevor Brown, "Mead selects treasurer"". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. October 27, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  4. "Sen. Wallop endorses Mark Gordon". Wyomingpublicmedia.org. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  5. "Gordon has Edge in Republican Primary". Casper Star Tribune. August 17, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  6. "US House (GOP) Recommendation". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. August 11, 2008. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  7. "Marguerite Herman, "Gordon's run for Congress draws criticism", May 2008". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  8. "Mark Gordon takes oath as Wyoming treasurer". Gillette, Wyoming, News Record. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  9. "Doug Randall, "Gordon sworn in as treasurer"". kgab.com. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  10. Reynolds, Nick (November 7, 2018). "Wyoming governor-elect Gordon outlines vision for his first year in office". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  11. "Wyoming governor sets gathering rules, forgoes mask mandate". AP NEWS. November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  12. Freiman, Jordan (November 25, 2020). "Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon Tests Positive for Coronavirus". CBS News. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  13. "Sarah Hildreth Gordon". geni_family_tree. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  14. "Merlin Ranch sponsors Wyoming Women's Antelope Hunt - Wyoming Women's Antelope Hunt". Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  15. Powell, Tori B. (November 25, 2020). "Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon Tests Positive for COVID-19 After Refusing to Implement Mask Mandate". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
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
Kamala Harris
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
Spencer Cox
as Governor of Utah
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