Matt Mead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matt Mead
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| 32nd Governor of Wyoming | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Dave Freudenthal |
| Succeeded by | Mark Gordon |
| United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming | |
| In office October 12, 2001 – June 7, 2007 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Dave Freudenthal |
| Succeeded by | Kelly H. Rankin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Matthew Hansen Mead
March 11, 1962 Jackson, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Carol Mead |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Mary Mead (mother) Clifford Hansen (grandfather) |
| Education | Trinity University, Texas (BA) University of Wyoming (JD) |
| Signature |  |
Matthew Hansen Mead (born March 11, 1962) is an American lawyer and businessman. He is also a politician from the Republican Party. He served as the 32nd governor of Wyoming from 2011 to 2019. Before that, he was the top lawyer for the U.S. government in Wyoming, called the United States Attorney, from 2001 to 2007.
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Early life and education
Matt Mead was born and grew up in Jackson, Wyoming. His parents were Peter Bradford Mead and Mary Elisabeth Hansen Mead.
In 1984, he earned a bachelor's degree in radio/television from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Later, he got his law degree (called a J.D.) from the University of Wyoming College of Law in Laramie. After finishing law school, he worked as a prosecutor for both local and federal governments. He also worked at a private law firm.
Working as a U.S. Attorney
In 2001, President George W. Bush chose Matt Mead to be the United States Attorney for Wyoming. This job means he was the chief federal prosecutor for the state. He held this position until June 2007.
He resigned from his job to try and become a U.S. Senator. This was because a rule called the Hatch Act of 1939 required him to step down if he wanted to run for a political office. The Republican Party in Wyoming chose three people for the governor to pick from. Matt Mead was considered, but another person, John Barrasso, was chosen instead.
Becoming Governor
2010 election
In 2010, Matt Mead ran for governor of Wyoming. He won the Republican primary election, which is when members of a party choose their candidate. He received slightly more votes than Rita Meyer.
The current governor, Dave Freudenthal, could not run again because of term limits. This meant he had served the maximum number of terms allowed. Because Wyoming usually votes for Republican candidates, Matt Mead was expected to win the main election easily.
During his campaign, Mead talked about his support for gun rights. On November 2, 2010, he won the election by a lot, getting 72% of the votes.
2014 election
In 2013, Cindy Hill, who was Wyoming's Superintendent of Public Instruction (in charge of public education), announced she would run against Mead in the 2014 governor's race. Earlier that year, Mead had signed a law that reduced the power of her office.
Matt Mead won the Republican primary again in 2014 with 55% of the votes. In the main election on November 4, he easily defeated Pete Gosar, the Democratic candidate.
His time as Governor
On October 26, 2012, Governor Mead chose Mark Gordon to be the state treasurer. This job involves managing the state's money.
In 2015, Mead stopped a law that would have made it harder for the state to take someone's property permanently through civil forfeiture. This law had a lot of support and passed in the Wyoming Legislature. However, Mead used his power to veto it, meaning he rejected the law.
Family life
Matt Mead has an older brother, Bradford Scott "Brad" Mead, who is a lawyer. He also has an older sister, Muffy Mead-Ferro, who is an author.
His mother, Mary Mead, also ran for governor in 1990. She was known for being an expert horse rider. She passed away in 1996 in a horseback riding accident.
Matt Mead's aunt, Andrea Mead Lawrence, was a famous alpine ski racer. She competed in the Winter Olympic Games three times and won two gold medals for the United States.
Matt Mead and his wife, Carol, have two children.
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Mead | 30,308 | 28.7 | |
| Republican | Rita Meyer | 29,605 | 28.0 | |
| Republican | Ron Micheli | 27,630 | 26.1 | |
| Republican | Colin Simpson | 16,722 | 15.8 | |
| Republican | Alan Kousoulos | 566 | 0.5 | |
| Republican | Tom Ubben | 432 | 0.4 | |
| Republican | John Self | 295 | 0.3 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 202 | 0.2 | |
| Total votes | 105,760 | 100 | ||
| Wyoming gubernatorial election, 2010 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Matt Mead | 123,780 | 65.68% | +35.67% | |
| Democratic | Leslie Petersen | 43,240 | 22.94% | -47.05% | |
| Independent | Taylor Haynes | 13,796 | 7.32% | ||
| Libertarian | Mike Wheeler | 5,362 | 2.85% | ||
| Write-ins | 2,285 | 1.21% | |||
| Majority | 80,540 | 42.74% | +2.75% | ||
| Turnout | 190,822 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democrat | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Mead (incumbent) | 53,673 | 54.04 | |
| Republican | Taylor Haynes | 31,532 | 31.75 | |
| Republican | Cindy Hill | 12,464 | 12.55 | |
| Republican | Write-in | 215 | 0.22 | |
| Republican | Over Votes | 26 | 0.03 | |
| Republican | Under Votes | 1,402 | 1.41 | |
| Total votes | 99,312 | 100 | ||
| Wyoming gubernatorial election, 2014 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Matt Mead (incumbent) | 99,700 | 58.25 | -7.43% | |
| Democratic | Pete Gosar | 45,752 | 26.73 | 3.79% | |
| Independent | Don Wills | 9,895 | 5.78 | ||
| Libertarian | Dee Cozzens | 4,040 | 2.36 | -0.49% | |
| Write-in | Other | 8,490 | 4.96 | ||
| Over Votes | Other | 62 | 0.04 | ||
| Under Votes | Other | 3,214 | 1.88 | ||
| Majority | 53,948 | 31.52 | -11.52% | ||
| Total votes | 171,153 | 100 | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
See also
In Spanish: Matt Mead para niños
