Stanley Graham Stephens (September 16, 1929 – April 3, 2021) was a

Canadian-American Canadian Americans is a term that can be applied to American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, or citizens of either country that hold dual citizenship. The term ''Canadian'' can mean a nationality or an ethnicity. Canadians ...

politician, journalist, and broadcaster who served as the 20th Governor of Montana from 1989 until 1993.

Biography

Born in Calgary,

Alberta, Canada Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to t ...

in 1929, Stephens was educated in public schools, but dropped out of high school. He moved to Montana when he was nineteen. He married Ann Hanson and the couple had two children.

Career

Stephens' 38-year career in broadcasting included his being drafted into service with the U.S. Armed Forces Broadcast Network during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. Stephens and Lyle Leeds, co-owners of KOJM Radio, in

Havre, Montana Havre ( ) is the county seat and largest city in Hill County, Montana, United States. Havre is nicknamed the crown jewel of the Hi-Line. It is said to be named after the city of Le Havre in France. As of the 2020 census the population was 9,362 ...

, from 1953 to 1985, guided the station to a policy of fund-raisers and free air time to individuals to speak on issues. Developing the art of radio editorials, in 1975, Stephens earned the

Edward R. Murrow Edward Roscoe Murrow (born Egbert Roscoe Murrow; April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broadcasts from Europe f ...

award for journalistic excellence in editorials for uncovering a scandal in the Montana Workers' Compensation Program. Stephens began his political career in 1969 with his election to the

Montana State Senate The Montana Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Composition of the Senate :''67th Legislature – 2021–20 ...

and in his 16-year tenure, he served as floor whip, majority leader, and senate president. In 1986 Stephens was recognized by the National Republican Legislators' Association as one of the country's ten most outstanding state lawmakers. In

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

, when incumbent

Governor of Montana The governor of Montana is the head of government of MontanaMontana Constitution, Article VI, Section 4. and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Montana National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

Ted Schwinden Theodore Schwinden (born August 31, 1925) is an American politician. He served as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Montana and the 19th Governor of Montana. Biography Schwinden was born in Wolf Point, Montana. He enlisted in the United States Ar ...

declined to seek re-election to a third term, Stephens ran to succeed him. He narrowly won the

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 ...

primary, and, in the general election, defeated former Governor

Thomas Lee Judge Thomas Lee Judge (October 12, 1934 – September 8, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 18th governor of Montana from 1973 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Montana f ...

by a slim margin. During his tenure as governor, he served on the White House Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Affairs, and he oversaw the 1989 Montana Statehood Centennial celebration. He declined to seek re-election in

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, and was succeeded by

Marc Racicot Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...

References

External links

Montana Broadcasters AssociationNational Governors AssociationMontana Historical Society
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Stanley 1929 births 2021 deaths American Lutherans American male journalists Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian Lutherans Republican Party governors of Montana Journalists from Montana Military personnel from Montana Republican Party Montana state senators Politicians from Calgary Presidents of the Montana Senate

Biography

Career

See also

References

External links