John Joseph Hickey (August 22, 1911 – September 22, 1970), known as Joe or J. J. Hickey, was an American judge and politician who served the 24th Governor of Wyoming and Senator as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

before sitting on the

Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (in case citations, 10th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Colorado * District of Kansas * Distric ...

. He was the first Governor of Wyoming to be born in the 20th century.

Early life

Joe Hickey was born in Rawlins, Wyoming, on August 22, 1911, to John Joseph Hickey and Brigit O'Meara. John moved to Wyoming in 1873, and was employed by the Union Pacific Railroad. Joe graduated from public school in Rawlins in 1929, and graduated with a law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1934. Hickey served in the army during World War II for 42 months and received the rank of

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

. In 1942 he joined the army as a private and after serving for forty two months rose to the rank of captain. On December 25, 1945, he was honorably discharged and on January 15, 1946, he married Winifred Espy. He served as county attorney of Carbon County from 1946 to 1949.

Career

Early politics

Hickey served as the treasurer of Rawlins from 1935 to 1940, and was the chair of the Carbon County Democratic Party. He was county attorney of Carbon County from 1939 to 1942. President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

appointed him as the U.S. District Attorney for Wyoming in 1949. Hickey became chair of the

Wyoming Democratic Party The Wyoming Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in Wyoming, headquartered in Cheyenne. The party was strong during Wyoming's territorial days but suffered a decline in its early statehood. It rose to prominence again from th ...

in 1954.

Governor and Senator

He was the Governor of Wyoming from 1958 to 1960. Hickey seconded the presidential nomination of Lyndon B. Johnson at the

1960 Democratic National Convention The 1960 Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles, California, on July 11–15, 1960. It nominated Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts for president and Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas for vice president. In ...

. During the 1960 presidential election Hickey stated that the issue over Kennedy's Catholicism would not be important in Wyoming due to Hickey, who was also a Catholic, having won in 1958. Hickey resigned as governor and Secretary of State

Jack R. Gage Jack Robert Gage (January 13, 1899 – March 14, 1970) was an American author, educator, and politician who served as the List of governors of Wyoming, 25th Governor of Wyoming as a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Par ...

ascended to the position. On January 2, 1961, Gage appointed him to fill the vacancy created by U.S. Senator-elect Keith Thomson's death. Hickey lost the election in 1962. On October 15, 1962, he suffered a heart attack, but recovered.

Tenth Circuit

He was in private practice of law in Rawlins from 1962 to 1966. Hickey was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on May 12, 1966, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacated by Judge John Coleman Pickett. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 9, 1966, and received his commission the same day.

Death

In July 1970, Hickey was hospitalized for a stomach ulcer and in August he went to the

Presbyterian Medical Center Penn Presbyterian Medical Center ("Presby") is a hospital located in the University City section of West Philadelphia. It was founded bReverend Ephraim D. Saundersin 1871 and formally joined the University of Pennsylvania Health System in 1995. ...

in Denver for lung cancer treatment. On September 22, 1970, he died in a Cheyenne hospital. He was buried on September 24, and eulogized by Bishop

Hubert Newell Hubert Michael Newell (February 16, 1904 – September 8, 1987) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Cheyenne from 1951 to 1978. Biography Early life Hubert Newell was born on February 16, 1904, in ...

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickey, Joe 1911 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American judges 20th-century American politicians 20th-century Roman Catholics United States Army personnel of World War II Catholics from Wyoming Democratic Party governors of Wyoming Democratic Party United States senators from Wyoming Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit People from Rawlins, Wyoming United States Attorneys for the District of Wyoming United States Army officers United States court of appeals judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson University of Wyoming College of Law alumni Wyoming lawyers Sigma Alpha Epsilon members