Thyra Kay Stevenson (September 4, 1944 – May 11, 2020) was an American politician from Idaho. She was a Republican member of Idaho House of Representatives from District 6 in the A seat, dying in office.
Thyra Stevenson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Idaho House of Representatives from the 6th district | |
| In office December 1, 2016 – May 11, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Rudolph |
| Succeeded by | Aaron von Ehlinger |
| In office December 1, 2012 – November 30, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Trail |
| Succeeded by | Dan Rudolph |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 4, 1944 Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Died | (aged 75) Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Walter Noel Greenham
(m. 1978; died 2015) |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Boston University (BA, BA) New York University (MA) University of Washington (PhD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Coast Guard |
Early life and education
editStevenson was born in Palo Alto, California, and moved to Lewiston, Idaho, with her family at the age of 13 when her father accepted a job with PotlatchDeltic. She graduated from Lewiston High School as her class's valedictorian in 1962.[1][2] Stevenson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree English and another in Spanish from Boston University. She earned a certificate in Spanish from the New York University of Madrid in Spain,[3] a Master of Arts in Spanish literature from New York University, and a PhD in Latin American literature from the University of Washington.[2]
Career
editStevenson began flying when she was a child. As an experienced pilot, she flew planes such as DC-3s, Convairs, Boeing 727 cargo and passenger planes.[4]
Stevenson served in the military as an aircraft commander, Flotilla commander, and pilot instructor in the United States Coast Guard. Stevenson was also a chief information officer in the AuxAir Squadron. She was a professor of Spanish at University of Washington.[2]
On November 6, 2012, Stevenson won the election and became a Republican member of Idaho House of Representatives for District 6 seat A. Stevenson defeated Pete Gertonson with 54.2% of the votes.[5]
On November 4, 2014, Stevenson was defeated by Dan Rudolf with 49.9% of the votes.[6]
On November 8, 2016, Stevenson was re-elected to her old seat in the Idaho House of Representatives. Stevenson defeated Bob Blakely with 56.55% of the votes.[7]
Stevenson was the vice-chair of the Revenue and Taxation Committee.[2] She died of heart problems while in office and Republican Governor Brad Little appointed Aaron von Ehlinger to the remainder of her term.[8] [9]
Elections
edit| Year | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Candidate | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Primary[10] | Thyra Stevenson | 2,566 | 100% | ||||||
| 2012 General[11] | Thyra Stevenson | 9,814 | 54.2% | Pete Gertonson | 8,294 | 45.8% | |||
| 2014 Primary[12] | Thyra Stevenson (incumbent) | 1,938 | 100% | ||||||
| 2014 General | Dan Rudolph | 6,230 | 50.1% | Thyra Stevenson (incumbent) | 6,205 | 49.9% | |||
| 2016 Primary[13] | Thyra Stevenson | 2,148 | 100% | ||||||
| 2016 General[7] | Thyra Stevenson | 10,600 | 56.6% | Bob Blakey | 8,144 | 43.4% |
Personal life and death
editIn 1978, Stevenson married Walter Noel Greenham (1941–2015), a Navy veteran and computer engineer. She had five children. Stevenson lived in California, until returning to Lewiston, Idaho after retirement. Stevenson served on the Lewiston City Council.[2][14]
Stevenson died on May 11, 2020, at age 75, from complications of a heart attack she suffered a week prior.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Idaho Rep. Thyra Stevenson dies at 75". Idaho Press. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
- ^ a b c d e "Representative Thyra Stevenson's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ Communications, NYU Web. "Madrid". www.nyu.edu.
- ^ Spence, William S. (February 16, 2014). "Pilot-lawmaker ready to soar". lmtribune.com. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ "November 6, 2012 General Election Results". sos.idaho.gov. November 6, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ a b Ysursa, Ben. "November 4, 2014 General Election Results: Legislative Totals". Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ a b Denney, Lawerence. "Nov 8, 2016 General Election Results: Legislative Totals". Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ Ex-Republican Lawmaker’s Trial for Raping Teen Intern Goes Off the Rails, Daily Beast, Justin Rohrlich, April 18, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "Thyra Stevenson, Idaho state rep., dies at 75". KIDK. Associated Press. May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Ysursa, Ben. "May 15, 2012 Primary Election Results: Legislative Totals". Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ Ysursa, Ben. "November 6, 2012 General Election Results: Legislative Totals". Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived from the original on June 15, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ Ysursa, Ben. "May 20, 2014 General Election Results: Legislative Totals". Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ Denney, Lawerence. "May 17, 2016 Primary Election Results: Legislative Totals". Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ "Walter Noel Greenham". lmtribune.com. March 8, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
External links
edit- Thyra Stevenson at the Idaho Legislature
- Thyra Stevenson's Campaign site
- Biography at Ballotpedia
- Financial information (state office) at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
- Thyra Stevenson at nezperceswcd.org
- 2013 Thyra Stevenson at idahopress.com