John M. Wightman is a Nebraska state senator from Lexington, Nebraska

Lexington, Nebraska

Lexington is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 10,230 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dawson County. Lexington is located in southern Nebraska, on the Platte River, southeast of North Platte. It sits along the route of U.S. Route 30 and the Union...

, United States, in the Nebraska Legislature

Nebraska Legislature

The Nebraska Legislature is the supreme legislative body of the State of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County....

. He is also an attorney with the firm Wightman & Wightman.

Personal life

He was born on October 2, 1938, in North Platte, Nebraska

North Platte, Nebraska

North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the southwestern part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River...

 and graduated from Sumner High School in 1956. He attended Kearney State College, now the University of Nebraska at Kearney

University of Nebraska at Kearney

The University of Nebraska at Kearney , founded in 1905 as the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney, is the Kearney, Nebraska, United States campus of the University of Nebraska system.-History:...

, earning a B.S. in 1959. Following a year as a teacher, he attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law

University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is regarded as one of the premier educational institutions in the world. It was founded in 1888 and became part of UNL in 1891.-History:The College of Law was founded...

, graduating in 1963. He is married and has three children. One of his children, Jeffrey, has joined him as a partner in the small law firm Wightman & Wightman in Lexington. Prior to being elected to the State Legislature, he served on the Lexington City Council

City council

A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

 from 1973 to 1978 and again from 1988 until 2000. He was also the mayor of Lexington, Nebraska

Lexington, Nebraska

Lexington is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 10,230 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dawson County. Lexington is located in southern Nebraska, on the Platte River, southeast of North Platte. It sits along the route of U.S. Route 30 and the Union...

 two times, first 1992–1995 and again from 1997 until 2000.

State legislature

Wightman was elected in 2006 to represent the 36th Nebraska legislative district, which includes much of Dawson County

Dawson County, Nebraska

Dawson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of 2010, the population was 24,326. Its county seat is Lexington.Dawson County is part of the Lexington, Nebraska, Micropolitan Statistical Area....

, and most of Buffalo County

Buffalo County, Nebraska

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,259 people, 15,930 households, and 10,227 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 16,830 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...

. Major communities in the district include Cozad

Cozad, Nebraska

Cozad is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,977 at the 2010 census. The town is on the Great Plains of central Nebraska, along the Union Pacific Railroad and U.S. Highway 30, just north of the Platte River...

, Overton, Elm Creek

Elm Creek, Nebraska

Elm Creek is a village in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 894 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elm Creek is located at ....

, Gibbon

Gibbon, Nebraska

Gibbon is a city in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,759 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gibbon is located at ....

, Gothenburg

Gothenburg, Nebraska

Gothenburg is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lexington, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,619 at the 2000 census.-History:...

, Lexington

Lexington, Nebraska

Lexington is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 10,230 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dawson County. Lexington is located in southern Nebraska, on the Platte River, southeast of North Platte. It sits along the route of U.S. Route 30 and the Union...

, Ravenna

Ravenna, Nebraska

Ravenna is a city in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,341 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ravenna is located at ....

, and Shelton

Shelton, Nebraska

Shelton is a village in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,140 at the 2000 census. It is located west of Grand Island along both the Union Pacific Railroad and U.S...

. He currently chairs the Executive Board of the Legislative Council, which is the closest thing to being a majority leader

Majority leader

In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...

in the non-partisan unicameral.