Rodger McDaniel (born August 14, 1948) is an American politician from the state of

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the 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 southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

. He is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. McDaniel has served in the

Wyoming Senate The Wyoming Senate is the upper house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 30 Senators in the Senate, representing an equal number of constituencies across Wyoming, each with a population of at least 17,000. The Senate meets at the Wyom ...

and

Wyoming House of Representatives The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of ...

Career

Rodger McDaniel was born in Leadville, Colorado, on August 14, 1948. He moved with his family to

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne ...

, as a small child. A lifelong Democrat and champion of Democratic causes, McDaniel served as the Wyoming Administrative Aide to

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Teno Roncalio Teno Domenico Roncalio (March 23, 1916 – March 30, 2003), born Celeste Domenico Roncaglio, was an American politician and writer who served in the United States House of Representatives. To date, he is the last Democrat to have represented Wyo ...

(D-WY) for several years prior to Rep. Roncalio's retirement. McDaniel was elected to the

Wyoming State House of Representatives The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of ...

in 1971 at the age of 21. He went on to serve in the

until 1981. In 1982, McDaniel ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Senator

Malcolm Wallop Malcolm Wallop (February 27, 1933 – September 14, 2011) was an American rancher and politician. He served as a United States Senator from Wyoming from 1977 to 1995. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early years Wallop was born in New Yo ...

(R-WY). During his tenure as a state legislator, McDaniel received the "Legislator of the Year" award. He has also served on the Board of Trustees of

Laramie County Community College Laramie County Community College (LCCC) is a public community college in Laramie County, Wyoming, with campuses in Cheyenne and Laramie and outreach centers at F.E. Warren Air Force Base and in Pine Bluffs. LCCC was established in 1968. The c ...

. McDaniel graduated from the

University of Wyoming College of Law The University of Wyoming College of Law is the law school of the University of Wyoming and the only law school located in Wyoming. It is situated in the Rocky Mountains in Laramie, Wyoming at 7,165 ft. between the Laramie Mountains and Sno ...

with a Juris Doctor Degree and practiced law for twenty years, specializing in employment and insurance law. McDaniel also served as the Wyoming

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

for State Farm Insurance and

Anheuser Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple glo ...

Companies for all of his legal career. He also participated, as a member of the Lawyer's Guild, as a human rights observer in Guatemala. From 1991–1992, McDaniel and his family joined Habitat for Humanity as International Partners in Guatemala and Nicaragua. Shortly after his return to Wyoming, McDaniel closed his law practice in order to attend

Iliff School of Theology Iliff School of Theology is a graduate Methodist theological school in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1892, the school's campus is adjacent to the University of Denver. Fewer than 200 students attend the school. Iliff is one of thirteen United ...

in Denver, Colorado, earning a Masters in Divinity Degree. Between 1999 and 2002, McDaniel consulted for the

Wyoming Department of Health The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is a state agency of Wyoming. It has its headquarters in the Hathaway Building in Cheyenne. History In November 1990 Wyoming voters approved a constitutional amendment that abolished the Wyoming Board of Chari ...

's Substance Abuse Division, where he co-authored, with Dr. Dennis Embry, ''Reclaiming Wyoming: A Comprehensive Blueprint for Prevention, Early Intervention and Treatment of Substance Abuse''. Governor Dave Freudenthal appointed McDaniel Director of the Department of Family Services in 2002. In 2006, Governor Freudenthal appointed him Deputy Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Division of the Department of Health. In 2013, Rodger McDaniel authored a book on the relationship between Joseph McCarthy and

Lester Hunt Lester Callaway Hunt, Sr. (July 8, 1892June 19, 1954), was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician from the state of Wyoming. Hunt was the first to be elected to two consecutive terms as Wyoming's governor, serving as ...

, entitled ''Dying for Joe McCarthy's Sins: The Suicide of Wyoming Senator Lester Hunt''. Rodger McDaniel resides in Cheyenne, Wyoming with his wife Patricia. They have two adult children and five grandchildren. He is the Pastor of Highlands United Presbyterian Church, as well as a published author and guest columnist for the ''

Wyoming Tribune Eagle The ''Wyoming Tribune Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Cheyenne and distributed primarily in Laramie County, Wyoming. It is the state's second largest newspaper in terms of circulation, behind the '' Casper Star Tribune''. The ''Tribune E ...

''.

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcdaniel, Rodger 1948 births Living people 20th-century American legislators American lobbyists American non-fiction writers American Presbyterian ministers Wyoming lawyers Democratic Party members of the Wyoming House of Representatives Democratic Party Wyoming state senators United States congressional aides University of Wyoming College of Law alumni Politicians from Cheyenne, Wyoming People from Leadville, Colorado Iliff School of Theology alumni