Mark Gordon

Early life and education

Gordon was born in New York City, the son of Catherine (née Andrews) and Crawford Gordon. Gordon's father grew up on Drumlin Farm, in Lincoln, Massachusetts. His parents married on October 27, 1945, at the First Unitarian Church of Kennebunk, Maine, before settling at their ranch in Kaycee, Wyoming, in 1947.

Gordon's paternal grandmother was the philanthropist Louise Ayer Hatheway. His paternal great-grandfather was the industrialist and mill magnate Frederick Ayer, founder of the American Woolen Company, and younger brother of the patent medicine tycoon James Cook Ayer, both of Lowell, Massachusetts.

He is a nephew of the socialite Jean Gordon. Gordon is also a great-nephew by marriage of General George S. Patton, and a first cousin once removed of General George Patton IV. He was raised on his family's ranch in Johnson County, Wyoming. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Middlebury College in 1979.

Career

2008 congressional run

Main article: 2008 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming

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 Barbara Cubin, who was retiring. His main opponent was Cynthia Lummis, also a former state treasurer and the wife of a Democratic former state representative, Alvin Wiederspahn. 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.

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

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, after being selected by Governor Matt Mead.

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

Governor of Wyoming

Main article: Governorship of Mark Gordon

2018 election

Main article: 2018 Wyoming gubernatorial 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. Gordon was inaugurated on January 7, 2019.

2022 election

Main article: 2022 Wyoming gubernatorial election

Gordon was reelected to a second term against Democratic nominee Theresa Livingston in the general election.

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 implement curfews, temporarily close any businesses or initially impose a statewide mask mandate. Gordon and his wife, Jennie Gordon, contracted COVID-19 later in the month. In December 2020, Gordon imposed a statewide mask mandate. In February 2021, he extended that order until the end of the month. On March 8, 2021, he announced that he would lift the mask mandate on March 16. On March 16, the mask mandate was lifted. As of March 30, Gordon has no plans to reinstate the mask mandate.

In November 2020, Gordon proposed $500 million in cuts to the Wyoming budget to account for declining revenue from the fossil fuel industry (particularly coal mining), which is crucial to Wyoming's economy. On April 2, 2021, he signed a budget passed by the Wyoming legislature that cut $430 million instead of the $500 million Gordon proposed, due to improved budget forecasts for the year of 2021 and supplemental money from the American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Biden. The budget Gordon signed decreases the amount cut to the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Department of Health.

In 2021, a New York Times investigation revealed that Gordon had been targeted by hard-right conservatives, such as Susan Gore, the heiress to the Gore-Tex fortune. Gore funded secret operatives who targeted Gordon. Part of this is due to Gordon's investment in renewable energy and policy on climate change, which led to a vote of no confidence by the state party. Gordon has embraced wind energy as a part of Wyoming's economic exports, such as the developing Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project.

As of 2022, Gordon often polls as one of the nation's most popular governors.

On March 7, 2024, Gordon banned Delta 8 hemp in Wyoming.

Political positions

Abortion

On March 18, 2023, Gordon signed SF0109 into law, which banned abortion pills in Wyoming.{{Cite news |last=Gruver |first=Mead |date=March 18, 2023|title=Wyoming governor signs measure prohibiting abortion pills

Transgender students in sports

Gordon has not taken a formal stance on HB0063, saying he prefers "local districts to address issues individually".

Energy policy

Gordon advocates balancing federal carbon capture investments with traditional energy sectors, calling it a "pragmatic transition".

Personal life

Gordon met his first wife, the former Sarah Hildreth Gilmore, at Middlebury College. They married on March 7, 1981. In 1993, she died in an automobile accident. They had two daughters.

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.

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.

Electoral history

References

References

1. "Crawford Gordon Obituary".
2. (December 8, 1945). "Harvard Alumni Bulletin".
3. "Mark Gordon".
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5. (October 27, 2012). "Trevor Brown, "Mead selects treasurer"". [[Wyoming Tribune Eagle]].
6. "Sen. Wallop endorses Mark Gordon".
7. (August 17, 2008). "Gordon has Edge in Republican Primary". Casper Star Tribune.
8. (August 11, 2008). "US House (GOP) Recommendation". [[Wyoming Tribune Eagle]].
9. (October 2025). "Marguerite Herman, "Gordon's run for Congress draws criticism", May 2008". [[Wyoming Tribune Eagle]].
10. "Mark Gordon takes oath as Wyoming treasurer". Gillette, Wyoming, News Record.
11. (November 2012). "Doug Randall, "Gordon sworn in as treasurer"". kgab.com.
12. Reynolds, Nick. (November 7, 2018). "Wyoming governor-elect Gordon outlines vision for his first year in office". Casper Star-Tribune.
13. (November 11, 2022). "Wyoming Governor Election Results". New York Times.
14. (2020-11-20). "Wyoming governor sets gathering rules, forgoes mask mandate".
15. Freiman, Jordan. (November 25, 2020). "Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon Tests Positive for Coronavirus". [[CBS News]].
16. (December 7, 2020). "Wyoming governor announces statewide mask order, other restrictions".
17. Hughes, Morgan. (Feb 11, 2021). "Wyoming extends mask order, will loosen restrictions on restaurants, gatherings.".
18. (March 8, 2021). "Wyoming will lift mask mandate next week".
19. (March 15, 2021). "Most Health Restrictions Lifted Tuesday, Including Mask Mandate".
20. (March 30, 2021). "Wyoming governor: No plans to reimpose COVID-19 mask mandate".
21. (November 16, 2020). "Wyoming governor announces additional $500M in budget cuts".
22. (April 2021). "Wyoming governor signs supplemental budget passed by Legislature".
23. (March 29, 2021). "With help of federal relief, legislature finds budget consensus".
24. (2021-06-25). "They Seemed Like Democratic Activists. They Were Secretly Conservative Spies.". The New York Times.
25. Wolfson, Leo. (November 10, 2023). "Wyoming GOP Passes No Confidence Vote Against Gov. Gordon". Cowboy State Daily.
26. (December 10, 2023). "Wyoming innovates to combat climate change as part of Gov. Mark Gordon's "all-of-the-above" energy policy". [[CBS News]].
27. "The 10 Most Popular and Unpopular Governors".
28. Landwehr, Abigail. (July 24, 2022). "As Gordon campaigns for second term, poll shows him nation's most popular governor". Casper Star-Tribune.
29. (March 15, 2024). "Wyoming will ban marijuana substitute delta-8; burgeoning industry's future uncertain".
30. "Legislation - 2024 - HB0063".
31. Mullen, Maggie. (2024-07-01). "Wyoming's transgender athlete ban goes unchallenged in court".
32. Eccles, Robert G.. (2023-11-22). "Climate Change In Wyoming: The Sanity Of Governor Mark Gordon And The Inanity Of The Wyoming Freedom Caucus".
33. "Merlin Ranch sponsors Wyoming Women's Antelope Hunt - Wyoming Women's Antelope Hunt".
34. Powell, Tori B.. (2020-11-25). "Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon Tests Positive for COVID-19 After Refusing to Implement Mask Mandate".
35. "R-Statewide_Candidates_Summary.xls". Wyoming Secretary of State.
36. "2014_Statewide_Candidates_Summary.pdf". Wyoming Secretary of State.
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38. "2018_Statewide_Candidates_Summary.pdf". Wyoming Secretary of State.
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40. "2022_Statewide_Candidates_Summary.pdf". Wyoming Secretary of State.
41. "2022_Statewide_Candidates_Summary.pdf". Wyoming Secretary of State.