John Wightman facts for kids

John Milton Wightman (born October 2, 1938, died January 5, 2017) was an important politician from Nebraska, a state in the central United States. He worked in the Nebraska Legislature for two terms, from 2007 to 2015. He represented a specific area in the middle of the state. Wightman was a member of the Republican Party.

John Wightman's Early Life and Schooling

John Wightman was born on October 2, 1938, in North Platte, Nebraska. He grew up in the area between Sumner and Overton. He finished Sumner High School in 1956.

College and Law School

After high school, he went to Kearney State College. This school is now called the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He earned a science degree there in 1959. For one year, he taught at a high school in Dannebrog. Then, he went to law school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law. He became a lawyer in 1963. In the same year, Wightman moved to Lexington to start his law practice.

John Wightman's Political Journey

Before joining the state legislature, John Wightman served on the city council in Lexington. He was on the council for about 20 years. For two of those years, he was even the mayor of the city.

Running for the State Legislature

In 2006, Wightman decided to run for a seat in the Nebraska Legislature. He wanted to represent the 36th District. This district included parts of Buffalo and Dawson Counties.

There were two candidates in this election, both from the Republican Party. The other person was Dick Pierce, a farmer and rancher. In the first election, called the primary election, Wightman received more votes. He got 4,227 votes, which was about 59% of all votes. Pierce received 2,920 votes. Since only two people ran, both moved on to the main election in November. Wightman won this election with 5,623 votes, or about 55%.

Re-election and District Changes

In 2010, Wightman ran for re-election to his seat. This time, no one ran against him, so he won easily. After the 2010 U.S. census, the boundaries of his district changed in 2011. The new district included all of Dawson and Custer Counties. It also included the northern part of Buffalo County.

Health Challenges and Term Limits

During his time in the Legislature, Wightman had some health problems. He had several knee surgeries. One of these led to an infection, which made him miss part of the 2011 legislative session. In September 2012, he had a stroke. He later said he couldn't remember anything from the two weeks after his stroke.

Nebraska has a law that limits how many terms a politician can serve. Because of this law, Wightman could not run for a third term in 2014. After he left office, Gothenburg banker Matt Williams took his place.

John Wightman's Family Life

In 1964, John Wightman married Janet L. Hyde. They had three children together.

John Wightman passed away on January 5, 2017. He was 78 years old.