Bridger Valley Pioneer
Debi Terry, Editor
August 18, 2006

People.

In a one-word nutshell, that's how Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal sums uppolitics. It's what interests him about politics and it's what frustrates him about politics.

Freudenthal is obviously a people person. He enjoys making trips around the state to meet people, hearing what's on their minds, and, yes, campaigning.

"People are fascinating. I enjoy them," the governor said after an afternoon visit around the Bridger Valley. He was accompanied by one of his daughters, Katie.

"It's frustrating, however, when people just assume that government is supposed to solve everything," Freudenthal said.

He said there is a role for government, but there is also an important role for the people to participate in their communities.

Freudenthal, the grandson of a German immigrant, learned about community involvement and service while growing up in a large family in Thermopolis.

He is the son of Lewis and Lucille Freudenthal and the seventh of eight children.

"Dad was active in the Rural Electric Association board and the State Farm Bureau. I come from an agricultural family," Freudenthal said.

He said his grandfather and great uncles were born in Germany and came to the U.S. on "the big boat" and homesteaded land in Wyoming.

In later years, Freudenthal's father and grandfather added to the original land. His mother, whose maiden name is Love, was raised in an agricultural family in Missouri.*

"Education was a big deal in my family. My dad was voted "most likely to succeed" in his high school class. He graduated during the depression and there was no money to go to college on. My mom didn't graduate from high school," he said.

Freudenthal noted that his parents' emphasis on education influenced him greatly.

"Education made all the difference for me. It has helped shape my interest in making sure that quality education and child care are available to the citizens of Wyoming," he said.

It's why he's proud to be a part of the Hathaway Scholarship program that was recently funded by the legislature.

Freudenthal knows first-hand the anxiety of trying to finance a college education.

"As a senior in high school, I filled out a lot of college applications. I know what it's like to look for a letter in the mailbox every day. I don't want another high school kid to have to do that," he said.

The future governor ended up earning his bachelor's degree in economics from Amherst College in Massachusetts.

"I went there sight unseen. They offered me a better scholarship and loan program than UW did," Freudenthal said. He returned to Wyoming and earned a law degree from UW in 1980, while simultaneously working for the state.

"From the time I was in the fifth grade, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. I grew up watching land disputes, water disputes and right-of-way disputes. Everyone went to a lawyer. I knew I needed to figure out how to be a lawyer," he said.

Freudenthal isn't the first in his family to enter the world of politics. In addition to his father's service on rural electric boards and the farm bureau, his older brother was also in the legislature.

"My family is very Republican," he said, noting his own affiliation with the Democrat party. "Dad was disappointed when I fell from grace."

"Depending on who you talk to, I'm a very conservative Democrat in a sort of Harry Truman main street business kind of model," Freudenthal said.

He does have a great interest in history, along with his hobby of woodworking.

"I read lots of history. I, of course, don't see myself on the same level as past great politicians, but there are many traits I admire in them," he said.

Traits that Freudenthal mentioned include Abraham Lincoln's capacity to survive the division of the country and the ability to knit it back together; George Washington's ability to walk away from being king of a new nation when he would have had an opportunity to reign; Theodore Roosevelt's commitment to the outdoor life; Thomas Jefferson's notion of an agrarian society.

With that said, however, he wouldn't call these past presidents his heroes.

"Growing up, my heroes were my parents and my church pastors," he said.

"If Dad were still alive, I know he would be pleased. I'm active and helped to build the community. I've spent time on the church vestry. Those are the important things," Freudenthal said.

His first administration was focused on key issues such as education and capital construction. He sees health care issues and telecommunications as important focus points for the next four years.

He's ready for another four years of putting "Wyoming First" and serving the people because people, after all, are what politics are all about.

*correction - Lucille Love Freudenthal was raised on Upper Owl Creek above Thermopolis. Her parents both grew up on farms in Missouri.