John C. Ostlund
Encyclopedia
John Chapman Ostlund was a diversified businessman from Gillette
and Cheyenne
, Wyoming
, who served in the Wyoming State Senate from 1973 to 1978, when he resigned to seek the Republican
gubernatorial nomination
. As the GOP
nominee, he came within 1 percentage point of unseating Democratic
Governor
Edgar Herschler
of Kemmerer
in Lincoln County in western Wyoming. Ostlund lost his sight in 1985 because of complications from diabetes. Thereafter, he became an advocate of the blind and penned his memoirs to benefit the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smithtown, New York
.
and then entered Kemper Military School
in Boonville, Missouri
, which closed in 2002. He received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy
at Annapolis, Maryland
, from Republican U.S. Senator Frank A. Barrett
of Wyoming. He graduated in 1949 with the commission of ensign
and served on the destroyer
Meredith in the Mediterranean Sea
. The diagnosis of diabetes required him to retire from the Navy in 1950. During a stay at St. Albans Naval Hospital on Long Island, New York
, he met the Navy nurse Ensign Mary Virginia Ryan (born 1928). On January 13, 1952, the couple wed in Mount Vernon
, New York. They settled in his native Gillette.
Ostlund and his brother, Axel R. "Bob" Ostlund, were involved in a multitude of business activities in Gillette: John Deere
Farm Machinery, plumbing
and heating, sheet metal, banking, and the construction and operation of motel
s and restaurant
s. Their interest also reached into manufacturing, real estate
, investments, agri-business, and mineral leasing and exploration.
named Ostlund to the board of trustees of the University of Wyoming
at Laramie
. During his term, UW developed its Fine Arts Center.
In 1972, Ostlund unseated state Senator Richard A. Mader (1923–2001) of Gillette in the Republican primary
to represent Campbell and neighboring Johnson County, which was the site of a notorious range war
in the early 1890s. He won the general election
in the fall and was reelected in 1976. The 1970s were a time when Wyoming, and particularly Campbell County, were experiencing growth in mineral development. Ostlund, a conservative Republican, was chairman of the Senate Mines, Minerals and Industrial Development Committee and was involved in the development of the Wyoming Community Development Authority, the Coal
Tax for Impact Assistance, and the School Foundation Program to finance capital facilities. Ostlund listed his most important accomplishment as the acquisition of the land for the "Camplex", the multi-activities center for Campbell County.
In the spring of 1978, Ostlund resigned from the state Senate to run for governor. In the primary, he polled 40,251 votes (58.9 percent) to defeat Gus A. Fleischli (born February 1, 1926), a Rawlins
native who was in the petroleum
business in Cheyenne, who received 24,824 ballots (36.4 percent). In a mostly Democratic year nationally, Ostlund was then defeated in the general election by Herschler: 67,595 votes (49.1 percent) to 69,972 (50.9 percent). Four years earlier as the GOP nominee, trucking executive and former State Senator Dick Jones
of Cody
in Park County received 56,645 (44.1 percent) to Herschler's 71,741 (55.9 percent). Ostlund hence ran 10,950 votes ahead of Jones, but Jones faced voters in a more heavily Democratic year nationally.
From 1970 to 1995, the Ostlunds owned the historic Remount Ranch twenty-three miles west of the capital city
of Cheyenne. During the early years, the ranch was a weekend home, but it was a full-time residence for the last eleven years until it was sold. The couple made extensive restorations to the property and hosted civic, educational, and social functions there. By 1985, Ostlund had gradually lost his sight but continued many community activities, including service on the board of the Wells Fargo
Bank, the Cheyenne United Medical Center Foundation, the Governor’s Mansion Foundation and the acclaimed Old West Museum in Cheyenne. He was also a member of Cheyenne Rotary International
and the Cheyenne Young Men’s Literary Club,. In 1995, the Ostlunds relocated to Cheyenne and sold Remount to the Bangert family, which returned it to his previous status as a working ranch.
, Quite a Life, which he dedicated to his eight grandchildren. All proceeds from the sale of the book were donated to the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, the organization from which he obtained his two guide dogs. His most recent dog, Russ, died unexpectedly several weeks before Ostlund's own passing. Ostlund sometimes took his guide dogs into elementary school
classrooms to demonstrate how he and the dogs worked as a team to assist him in maintaining his many activities. Despite his handicap, Ostlund maintained many private interests, including playing the piano
.
Ostlund died at his home in Cheyenne. In addition to his wife and brother, he was survived by his eight children: Peg Ostlund of Cheyenne, John Ostlund, Jr., of Westminster, Colorado
; Nancy Essery of San Diego, California
; Tom Ostlund of Cheyenne, Karin Ostlund of Denver
; Patrick Ostlund of Douglas, Wyoming
; Jane Gebhart and Scott Ostlund, both of Gillette. A mass
of Christian
burial was delivered on May 3, 2004, at St. Matthew's Catholic
Church in Gillette.
Gillette, Wyoming
Gillette is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 29,087 in 2010. Gillette is a city centrally located in an area involved with the development of vast quantities of American coal, oil, and coal bed methane gas...
and Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, who served in the Wyoming State Senate from 1973 to 1978, when he resigned to seek the Republican
Republican 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...
gubernatorial nomination
Nomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
. As the GOP
Republican 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...
nominee, he came within 1 percentage point of unseating Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Edgar Herschler
Edgar Herschler
Edgar Jacob Herschler , popularly known as "Gov. Ed", was the 28th Governor of Wyoming from 1975 to 1987. Herschler built a personal appeal to voters based on charisma, a small-town background, and shrewd political maneuvering to such an extent that he was the only three-term governor in Wyoming...
of Kemmerer
Kemmerer, Wyoming
Kemmerer is both the largest city and the county seat of Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 2,651 at the 2000 census. It dubs itself the "The Fossil Fish Capital of the World" and the "Gateway to the West." As the county seat of Lincoln County, Kemmerer is the location of...
in Lincoln County in western Wyoming. Ostlund lost his sight in 1985 because of complications from diabetes. Thereafter, he became an advocate of the blind and penned his memoirs to benefit the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smithtown, New York
Smithtown, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 115,715 people, 38,487 households, and 31,482 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,159.9 people per square mile . There were 39,357 housing units at an average density of 734.6 per square mile...
.
Early years, education, military
Ostlund was the second son born to Axel William Ostlund (1891–1982) and the former Mary Spence "Polly" Roberts (1902–1980) in Gillette, the seat of Campbell County in northeastern Wyoming. In 1944, he graduated from Campbell County High SchoolCampbell County High School (Gillette, Wyoming)
Campbell County High School is a public secondary institution located in Gillette, Wyoming.-Community Background:Gillette is located in Northern Campbell County, in the Northeast corner of Wyoming. It is located on the plains between the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Big Horn Mountains of...
and then entered Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus" .-Early years under Frederick T. Kemper:...
in Boonville, Missouri
Boonville, Missouri
This page is about the city in Missouri. For other communities of the same name, see Boonville Boonville is a city in Cooper County, Missouri, USA. The population was 8,202 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cooper County. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil...
, which closed in 2002. He received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
at Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, from Republican U.S. Senator Frank A. Barrett
Frank A. Barrett
Frank Aloysius Barrett was an American soldier, lawyer and politician. He is best known as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and as the 21st Governor of Wyoming....
of Wyoming. He graduated in 1949 with the commission of ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
and served on the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Meredith in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. The diagnosis of diabetes required him to retire from the Navy in 1950. During a stay at St. Albans Naval Hospital on Long Island, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, he met the Navy nurse Ensign Mary Virginia Ryan (born 1928). On January 13, 1952, the couple wed in Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:...
, New York. They settled in his native Gillette.
Ostlund and his brother, Axel R. "Bob" Ostlund, were involved in a multitude of business activities in Gillette: John Deere
John Deere
John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...
Farm Machinery, plumbing
Plumbing
Plumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...
and heating, sheet metal, banking, and the construction and operation of motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
s and restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s. Their interest also reached into manufacturing, real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
, investments, agri-business, and mineral leasing and exploration.
Political and community service
Ostlund was chairman of the Campbell County Republican Party from 1961 to 1969. He then served for several years as a state Republican committeeman. In 1969, Governor Stanley K. HathawayStanley K. Hathaway
Stanley Knapp Hathaway served as 27th Governor of Wyoming from 1967–1975, and as United States Secretary of the Interior under President Gerald R. Ford.- Early life and military service :Stanley K...
named Ostlund to the board of trustees of the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
at Laramie
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
. During his term, UW developed its Fine Arts Center.
In 1972, Ostlund unseated state Senator Richard A. Mader (1923–2001) of Gillette in the Republican primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to represent Campbell and neighboring Johnson County, which was the site of a notorious range war
Range war
A range war is a type of conflict that occurs in agrarian or stockrearing societies. Typically fought over water rights or grazing rights to unfenced/unowned land, it could pit competing farmers or ranchers against each other...
in the early 1890s. He won the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
in the fall and was reelected in 1976. The 1970s were a time when Wyoming, and particularly Campbell County, were experiencing growth in mineral development. Ostlund, a conservative Republican, was chairman of the Senate Mines, Minerals and Industrial Development Committee and was involved in the development of the Wyoming Community Development Authority, the Coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
Tax for Impact Assistance, and the School Foundation Program to finance capital facilities. Ostlund listed his most important accomplishment as the acquisition of the land for the "Camplex", the multi-activities center for Campbell County.
In the spring of 1978, Ostlund resigned from the state Senate to run for governor. In the primary, he polled 40,251 votes (58.9 percent) to defeat Gus A. Fleischli (born February 1, 1926), a Rawlins
Rawlins, Wyoming
Rawlins is a city in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,538 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carbon County...
native who was in the petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
business in Cheyenne, who received 24,824 ballots (36.4 percent). In a mostly Democratic year nationally, Ostlund was then defeated in the general election by Herschler: 67,595 votes (49.1 percent) to 69,972 (50.9 percent). Four years earlier as the GOP nominee, trucking executive and former State Senator Dick Jones
Dick Jones (Wyoming politician)
Richard R. "Dick" Jones was a trucking executive from Cody and Powell in Park County, Wyoming, who served in his state's House of Representatives and Senate from 1955 to 1974. He was the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial nominee in the nationally Democratic year of 1974. A conservative, Jones...
of Cody
Cody, Wyoming
Cody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...
in Park County received 56,645 (44.1 percent) to Herschler's 71,741 (55.9 percent). Ostlund hence ran 10,950 votes ahead of Jones, but Jones faced voters in a more heavily Democratic year nationally.
From 1970 to 1995, the Ostlunds owned the historic Remount Ranch twenty-three miles west of the capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of Cheyenne. During the early years, the ranch was a weekend home, but it was a full-time residence for the last eleven years until it was sold. The couple made extensive restorations to the property and hosted civic, educational, and social functions there. By 1985, Ostlund had gradually lost his sight but continued many community activities, including service on the board of the Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
Bank, the Cheyenne United Medical Center Foundation, the Governor’s Mansion Foundation and the acclaimed Old West Museum in Cheyenne. He was also a member of Cheyenne Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
and the Cheyenne Young Men’s Literary Club,. In 1995, the Ostlunds relocated to Cheyenne and sold Remount to the Bangert family, which returned it to his previous status as a working ranch.
Death and legacy
In 2001, Ostlund published his autobiographyAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Quite a Life, which he dedicated to his eight grandchildren. All proceeds from the sale of the book were donated to the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, the organization from which he obtained his two guide dogs. His most recent dog, Russ, died unexpectedly several weeks before Ostlund's own passing. Ostlund sometimes took his guide dogs into elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
classrooms to demonstrate how he and the dogs worked as a team to assist him in maintaining his many activities. Despite his handicap, Ostlund maintained many private interests, including playing the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
Ostlund died at his home in Cheyenne. In addition to his wife and brother, he was survived by his eight children: Peg Ostlund of Cheyenne, John Ostlund, Jr., of Westminster, Colorado
Westminster, Colorado
Westminster is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Westminster is a northwest suburb of Denver. The Westminster Municipal Center is located north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol. The United States Census Bureau that the city population...
; Nancy Essery of San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
; Tom Ostlund of Cheyenne, Karin Ostlund of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
; Patrick Ostlund of Douglas, Wyoming
Douglas, Wyoming
Douglas is a city in Converse County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 5,288 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Converse County...
; Jane Gebhart and Scott Ostlund, both of Gillette. A mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
burial was delivered on May 3, 2004, at St. Matthew's Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Church in Gillette.