Jim Geringer
Encyclopedia
James Edward "Jim" Geringer (born April 24, 1944) was the 30th Governor of Wyoming.
. He attended Kansas State University
and was a member of Triangle Fraternity
, earning a degree in mechanical engineering
. He served for ten years in the United States Air Force
before retiring. He briefly worked at a power generating station in Wheatland, Wyoming
before purchasing a farm.
for a seat in the Wyoming House of Representatives
. After serving there for six years, he won a seat in the Wyoming Senate
. In 1994, State Senator Geringer was elected as Wyoming's governor.
Geringer was generally a conservative throughout his political career. As governor, he helped pass laws that regulated class action lawsuits, reformed bankruptcy
laws, toughened crime laws, legalized charter schools, and lowered taxes. However, he broke with the Republican Party in supporting environmental rulings and the Equal Rights Amendment
.
In 1997, Governor Geringer called for a boycott of America Online after Sondra London
posted a series of murder confessions sent to her from "Happy Face Killer" Keith Jesperson, protesting that he found the items to be offensive. Although London voluntarily removed the pages in question, AOL banned her from the AOL domain, which in turn prompted an outpouring of support from all over the World Wide Web
, including multiple offers of free server space. London thanked Geringer on Larry King Live
for catapulting her website into the limelight, even though it wasn't Geringer intention.
Geringer is a character in the play The Laramie Project
, about the Matthew Shepard
murder and trial, which was a major news event while he was Governor. He makes a statement in the play about being opposed to a hate crimes law, which President Bill Clinton
strongly supported, as did Judy Shepard
, mother of the murdered college student.
After serving as governor, he joined Redlands, Calif., ESRI http://www.esri.com as director of policy and public sector strategies.
Geringer is one of the founding governors of Western Governors University
(WGU) and is currently chairman of the WGU Board of Trustees.
Early life and education
Geringer was raised on a farm in Wheatland, WyomingWheatland, Wyoming
Wheatland is a town in and the county seat of Platte County in southeastern Wyoming, United States. The population was 3,548 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wheatland is located at ....
. He attended Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
and was a member of Triangle Fraternity
Triangle Fraternity
Triangle Fraternity is a social fraternity, limiting its recruitment of members to male students majoring in engineering, architecture, and the physical, mathematical, biological, and computer sciences...
, earning a degree in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
. He served for ten years in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
before retiring. He briefly worked at a power generating station in Wheatland, Wyoming
Wheatland, Wyoming
Wheatland is a town in and the county seat of Platte County in southeastern Wyoming, United States. The population was 3,548 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wheatland is located at ....
before purchasing a farm.
Politics
In 1982, Geringer successfully ran as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
for a seat in the Wyoming House of Representatives
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 amount of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of at least 9,000. The House convenes at the Wyoming...
. After serving there for six years, he won a seat in the Wyoming Senate
Wyoming Senate
The Wyoming Senate is the upper house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 30 Senators in the Senate, representing an equal amount of constituencies across Wyoming, each with a population of at least 17,000. The Senate meets at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne.Members of the Senate...
. In 1994, State Senator Geringer was elected as Wyoming's governor.
Geringer was generally a conservative throughout his political career. As governor, he helped pass laws that regulated class action lawsuits, reformed bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
laws, toughened crime laws, legalized charter schools, and lowered taxes. However, he broke with the Republican Party in supporting environmental rulings and the Equal Rights Amendment
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. The ERA was originally written by Alice Paul and, in 1923, it was introduced in the Congress for the first time...
.
In 1997, Governor Geringer called for a boycott of America Online after Sondra London
Sondra London
Sondra London is an American true crime author who has been dubbed "the Queen of Serial Killer Groupies".-Biography:Born in Florida, she dated future serial killer Gerard John Schaefer in high school. She earned a bachelor's degree in literature at New College of Florida...
posted a series of murder confessions sent to her from "Happy Face Killer" Keith Jesperson, protesting that he found the items to be offensive. Although London voluntarily removed the pages in question, AOL banned her from the AOL domain, which in turn prompted an outpouring of support from all over the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
, including multiple offers of free server space. London thanked Geringer on Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
for catapulting her website into the limelight, even though it wasn't Geringer intention.
Geringer is a character in the play The Laramie Project
The Laramie Project
The Laramie Project is a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie,...
, about the Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998...
murder and trial, which was a major news event while he was Governor. He makes a statement in the play about being opposed to a hate crimes law, which President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
strongly supported, as did Judy Shepard
Judy Shepard
Judy Shepard is the mother of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at University of Wyoming who was murdered in October 1998...
, mother of the murdered college student.
After serving as governor, he joined Redlands, Calif., ESRI http://www.esri.com as director of policy and public sector strategies.
Geringer is one of the founding governors of Western Governors University
Western Governors University
Western Governors University is a private, nonprofit, American online university with nearly 30,000 students across the United States and in military bases overseas, as of December 2011. It is a competency-based university...
(WGU) and is currently chairman of the WGU Board of Trustees.