Charles Thone (January 4, 1924 – March 7, 2018) was an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician. He was the 34th Governor of Nebraska, serving from 1979 to 1983. He previously served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, representing

Nebraska's 1st congressional district Nebraska's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Nebraska that encompasses most of its eastern quarter, except for Omaha and some of its suburbs, which are part of the 2nd congressional district. It includ ...

, from 1971 to 1979.

Early life

Thone was born in

Hartington, Nebraska Hartington is a city in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,514 at the 2020 census. History Hartington was platted in 1883, as a water stop on the railroad. It was named for Lord Hartington, who had then recently paid a v ...

. He was one of four sons, including John Jr. He graduated from Hartington High School. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served in the

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

and in the field artillery and the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

as a non-commissioned officer and as an officer.

Political career

While attending The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Thone served as the pledge president of the Phi Delta Gamma fraternity. During that time, one of the pledges was a young

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

whom Thone agreed to sponsor because he felt that Carson's humor would be an asset to the fraternity. Following graduation from the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Law The University of Nebraska College of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of University of Nebraska system. It was founded in 1888 and became part of University of Nebraska in 1891. According to Nebraska's official 2017 ABA-required di ...

in 1950, he set up private practice in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. He served as deputy secretary of state of Nebraska from 1951 to 1952. In 1952, he became President of the Nebraska

Junior Chamber of Commerce The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). ...

. He married Ruth Raymond on August 16, 1953. From 1954 to 1970, he served as Administrative Assistant to U.S. Senator

Roman Hruska Roman Lee Hruska () (August 16, 1904April 25, 1999) was an American attorney and politician who served as a Republican U.S. senator from the state of Nebraska. Hruska was known as one of the most vocal conservatives in the Senate during the 1960 ...

. Thone was elected to the

in 1970, representing

from 1971 to 1979. During his tenure in Congress, he served as assistant minority whip, and as a member of the

House Select Committee on Assassinations The United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) was established in 1976 to investigate the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963 and 1968, respectively. The HSCA completed its i ...

Governorship

In the 1978 election, he was elected the 34th Governor of Nebraska, a post he held until he was narrowly defeated for reelection in the 1982 election by

Bob Kerrey Joseph Robert Kerrey (born August 27, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 35th Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 1989 to 2001. Before entering politics, he served in the Vietna ...

, leaving office in January 1983. He chaired the Old West Economic Development Commission from 1981 to 1982, and the Agricultural Committee of the President's Export Council from 1982 to 1985.

Later career

In the 1992 presidential election, he cast one of the state's five electoral votes for President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

. In

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, he did the same for

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

. After retiring from public life, he practiced law in the Lincoln, Nebraska office of Erickson and Sederstrom. Thone died on March 7, 2018 at age 94.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-01-24
The Political Graveyard
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Thone, Charles 1924 births 2018 deaths Republican Party governors of Nebraska Nebraska lawyers People from Hartington, Nebraska Politicians from Lincoln, Nebraska State political party chairs of Nebraska University of Nebraska College of Law alumni 1992 United States presidential electors 2008 United States presidential electors United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Nebraska United States Army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska 20th-century American lawyers United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers