Scott J. Ratliff (born January 19, 1943) is an American politician in the state of

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

. An

Eastern Shoshone Eastern Shoshone are Shoshone who primarily live in Wyoming and in the northeast corner of the Great Basin where Utah, Idaho and Wyoming meet and are in the Great Basin classification of Indigenous People. They lived in the Rocky Mountains du ...

, he is the first Native American to be elected to the

Wyoming State Legislature The Wyoming State Legislature is the legislative branch of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is a bicameral state legislature, consisting of a 60-member Wyoming House of Representatives, and a 30-member Wyoming Senate. The legislature meets at the ...

and served as a Democrat for

Fremont County, Wyoming Fremont County is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 39,234, making it the fifth-most populous county in Wyoming. Its county seat is Lander. The county was founded in 1884 and is name ...

from 1980 to 1992. Ratliff was born in

Fort Washakie, Wyoming Fort Washakie ( arp, Ce'eyeino'oowu') is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States, within the Wind River Indian Reservation and along U.S. Route 287. The population was 1,759 at the 2010 census. The headquarters ...

in 1943, and attended Pavillion High School near his family's horse ranch north of

Pavillion, Wyoming is a town in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 231 at the 2010 census. History Fracking and water quality In 2008, rural residents five miles east-northeast of complained of discolored water, foul smells and illness th ...

. He earned degrees at

Arapahoe Community College Arapahoe Community College (ACC) is a public community college in Littleton, Colorado. It was founded in 1965 as the first community college to open in the Denver area. History The college began after a grass-roots movement by Littleton reside ...

Black Hills State College Black Hills State University (BHSU) is a public university in Spearfish, South Dakota. Close to 4,000 students attend classes at its campus in Spearfish, at sites in Rapid City and Pierre, and through distance offerings. Enrollment comes from ...

(1971) and the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

(1973). Holding a master's degree in guidance and counseling, he worked at

Eastern Wyoming College Eastern Wyoming College is a community college in Torrington, Wyoming Torrington is a city in, and the county seat of, Goshen County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 6,501 at the 2010 census. It is the home of Eastern Wyoming Coll ...

and

Central Wyoming College Central Wyoming College (CWC or CW) is a public community college in Riverton, Wyoming. In addition to its main campus, the college provides online classes and has outreach centers in Jackson, Lander, Dubois, and the Wind River Indian Reservati ...

. He also served in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

and was wounded in action. After serving as state representative, Ratliff was a member of the Wyoming State Council on Juvenile Justice, Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame Board, Shoshone Economic Board, Wyoming State Board of Tribal Economics, and National Advisory Council on Indian Education. He received a human rights award from the Wyoming Counseling Association in 1990. Ratliff is married to Sheri and has three daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratliff, Scott 1943 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Wyoming House of Representatives 20th-century Native American politicians People from Fremont County, Wyoming Black Hills State University alumni University of Wyoming alumni