Thyra Kay Stevenson (September 4, 1944 – May 11, 2020) was an American politician from Idaho. She was a
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 ...
member of
Idaho House of Representatives
The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate se ...
from District 6 in the A seat, dying in office.
Early life and education
Stevenson was born in
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.
The city was es ...
, and moved to
Lewiston, Idaho, with her family at the age of 13 when her father accepted a job with
PotlatchDeltic
PotlatchDeltic Corporation (originally Potlatch Corp) is an American diversified forest products company based in Spokane, Washington.
It manufactures and sells lumber, panels and particleboard and receives revenue from other assets such as miner ...
. She graduated from
Lewiston High School as her class's valedictorian in 1962.
Stevenson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree English and another in Spanish from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
. She earned a certificate in Spanish from the New York University of Madrid in Spain, a Master of Arts in
Spanish literature
Spanish literature generally refers to literature ( Spanish poetry, prose, and drama) written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the Kingdom of Spain. Its development coincides and frequently intersects wi ...
from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
, and a
PhD in
Latin American literature
Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous languages of the Americas. It rose to particular prominence globally during the ...
from the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
.
Career
Stevenson began flying when she was a child. As an experienced pilot, she flew planes such as DC-3s, Convairs,
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...
cargo and passenger planes.
Stevenson served in the military as an aircraft commander, Flotilla commander, and pilot instructor in the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...
. Stevenson was also a chief information officer in the AuxAir Squadron. She was a professor of Spanish at
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
.
On November 6, 2012, Stevenson won the election and became a Republican member of
Idaho House of Representatives
The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate se ...
for
District 6 seat A. Stevenson defeated Pete Gertonson with 54.2% of the votes.
On November 4, 2014, Stevenson was defeated by Dan Rudolf with 49.9% of the votes.
On November 8, 2016, Stevenson was re-elected to her old seat in the
Idaho House of Representatives
The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate se ...
. Stevenson defeated Bob Blakely with 56.55% of the votes.
Stevenson was the vice-chair of the Revenue and Taxation Committee.
She died of heart problems while in office and Republican Governor
Brad Little
Bradley Jay Little (born February 15, 1954) is an American politician serving as the 33rd governor of Idaho since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Idaho from 2009 to 2019 and as an Idah ...
appointed
Aaron von Ehlinger to the remainder of her term.
[
]
Elections
Personal life and death
In 1978, Stevenson married Walter Noel Greenham (1941–2015), a Navy veteran and computer engineer. She had five children. Stevenson lived in California, until returning to Lewiston, Idaho after retirement. Stevenson served on the Lewiston City Council.
Stevenson died on May 11, 2020, at age 75, from complications of a heart attack she suffered a week prior.
References
External links
Thyra Stevenson
at the Idaho Legislature
The Idaho Legislature consists of the upper Idaho Senate and the lower Idaho House of Representatives. Idaho is divided into 35 legislative districts, which each elect one senator and two representatives. There are no term limits for either ...
Thyra Stevenson's Campaign site
Biography at Ballotpedia
Financial information (state office)
at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
Thyra Stevenson at nezperceswcd.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Thyra K
1944 births
2020 deaths
21st-century American women politicians
Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni
Female United States Coast Guard personnel
Women military aviators
Idaho city council members
Republican Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives
Aviators from California
Military personnel from California
New York University alumni
People from Lewiston, Idaho
People from Palo Alto, California
University of Washington alumni
Women state legislators in Idaho
21st-century American politicians
Women city councillors in Idaho