Thomas L. Hennies (August 11, 1939 – August 11, 2009) was an American police officer and politician. Tom Hennies was the third son born to Lewis and Mariellen Hennies in

Wagner, South Dakota Wagner is a city in Charles Mix County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,490 at the 2020 census. The city is served by Wagner Municipal Airport as well as YST Transit buses. History Wagner was founded in 1900. The town was inc ...

on August 11, 1939. The family moved to

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

, then

Rapid City Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

, where Hennies was raised alongside older brothers Ron and Don Hennies. Tom Hennies graduated from Rapid City High School in 1957 and became a firefighter for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad. Later that year, he enlisted in the United States Army. He was assigned to the

United States Army Security Agency The United States Army Security Agency (ASA) was the United States Army's signals intelligence branch from 1945 to 1976. The Latin motto of the Army Security Agency was ''Semper Vigiles'' (Vigilant Always), which echoes the declaration, often ...

and sent to Japan. After a year in Japan, Hennies was reassigned to South Korea, where he remained until discharge from active service. Hennies attended the Black Hills Teachers College and

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship uni ...

. He married Ann Luedemann in 1963 and joined the Rapid City Police Department two years later. He was on duty during the

1972 Black Hills flood The Black Hills Flood of 1972, also known as the Rapid City Flood, was the most detrimental flood in South Dakota history, and one of the deadliest floods in U.S. history. The flood took place on June 9–10, 1972 in the Black Hills of Western ...

, and eventually found himself floating in his patrol car. Shortly after radioing for help, he was rescued by the Rapid City Fire Department. In 1984, Hennies was named police chief of Rapid City, and established a partnership with the Pennington County Sheriff's Office. Hennies stepped down as police chief in 2000 to focus on his duties as a member of the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided into ...

, to which he had first been elected in 1998. When Hennies won reelection in 2000, his brother Don began his first term in same legislative body. In his final reelection campaign in 2004, Hennies finished first in District 32, ahead of fellow Republican Alan Hanks, Democrats Mike Wilson and Anita Paige. Near the end of his fourth and final term as a state representative, Hennies was diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease. He was seeking treatment for the disease at Mayo Clinic when he died on his birthday at the age of 70, on August 11, 2009. His funeral was held on August 18, 2009, with the entire Rapid City Police Department in attendance. Hennies was interred at the

Black Hills National Cemetery Black Hills National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in South Dakota, located three miles (5 km) southeast of Sturgis in Meade County. It encompasses , and as 2021, had over 30,000 interments. Located at exit 34 of Interstat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hennies, Tom 1939 births 2009 deaths University of South Dakota alumni United States Army soldiers American municipal police chiefs Republican Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives Deaths from pneumonia in Minnesota Burials in South Dakota People from Wagner, South Dakota People from Chamberlain, South Dakota Politicians from Rapid City, South Dakota Black Hills State University alumni 20th-century American legislators