Walter Marcus William Nye (August 3, 1945 – July 16, 2022) was an American attorney and politician who served as a
Democratic member of the
Idaho Senate from the
29th District. Nye previously represented the same district in the
Idaho House of Representatives from 2014 to 2016.
Early life, education, and career
Born in
New York City in 1945, Nye was raised in
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...
, descending from early pioneers of the
Idaho Territory
The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho.
History
1860s
The territory w ...
. He graduated from
Pocatello High School
Pocatello High School is a four-year public high school in Pocatello, Idaho, United States. It is the oldest of the three traditional high schools of the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District and serves the southwest portion. The school colors are ...
in 1963 and earned a
Bachelor of Arts from
Harvard College in 1967. He then returned to Idaho and earned a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from the
University of Idaho College of Law
The University of Idaho College of Law is the law school of the University of Idaho, with its main location in Moscow and a second campus in the state capital of Boise. As of the entering class of 2017–18, students may take all three years of ins ...
in 1974.
Career
Nye began practicing law in Pocatello in 1974. He was the past president of the
Idaho State Bar
The Idaho State Bar (ISB) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is a self-governing state agency of the State of Idaho.
History
Portions of the Idaho Code pertaining to the practice of law in Idaho date ...
and served on the
American Bar Association Board of Governors.
Idaho House of Representatives
In 2014, incumbent Idaho Representative
Carolyn Meline announced she would not seek reelection. Nye subsequently announced his candidacy for the Idaho House of Representatives. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican Matthew Bloxham and Libertarian Matthew Larsen, both of Pocatello, in the general election.
Committee assignments
From 2014 to 2016, he served on the Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee, Local Government Committee, and Revenue and Taxation Committee.
Idaho Senate
In 2016, incumbent Idaho Senator
Roy Lacey
Roy Lacey (born November 5, 1947, in Pocatello, Idaho) was a Democratic Idaho Senator from 2012 to 2016 for District 30, he was also an Idaho State Representative from 2010 to 2012 representing District 30 in the A seat.
Education
Lacey atte ...
announced he would not seek reelection. Nye subsequently announced his candidacy for Idaho Senate. Nye was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican Tom Katsilometes and Libertarian Sierra "Idaho Lorax" Carta in the general election.
Idaho law allows any voter to challenge the election of a legislator, and the respective legislative body has full discretion to judge the election and qualifications of members in deciding whether to seat them. Nye's Republican opponent Katsilometes challenged Nye's election on the grounds that Nye had allegedly violated campaign finance laws and vote counting irregularities. The Idaho Senate dismissed the challenge unanimously and seated Nye. It was the first time an election had been challenged since 1981.
Committee assignments
* Finance Committee
* Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee
* Judiciary and Rules Committee
* Local Government and Taxation
Elections
Personal life
Nye died on July 16, 2022, at the age of 76.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nye, Mark
1945 births
2022 deaths
21st-century American politicians
Democratic Party Idaho state senators
Harvard University alumni
Democratic Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives
People from Pocatello, Idaho
Politicians from New York City
Idaho lawyers
University of Idaho College of Law alumni