Thomas E. Trowbridge

Thomas E. Trowbridge, known as Tom Trowbridge (December 18, 1930 – July 7, 2009), originally a dairy farmer from Carbon County, Wyoming, served as a Democrat in both houses of the Wyoming State Legislature from 1979 to 1986.^[1] He was a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives for two two-year terms, and he served a single four-year term in the Wyoming State Senate. In 1987, Democratic Governor Mike Sullivan named him to the Wyoming Board of Equalization.^[2]

In 1990, he relocated to Casper to become the director of the Wyoming Rural Electric Association. In 1993 he was appointed in the Clinton administration as Wyoming state director of the United States Department of Agriculture.^[3]

Trowbridge was born in Superior in Nuckolls County in southern Nebraska to Elton Trowbridge (1904–1974)^[4] and the former Irene Kohr, who were teachers and farmers. He came to Carbon County in 1935, when his parents purchased the farm on Cow Creek. He graduated in 1948 from Saratoga High School, where he participated in 4-H Club and was the editor of the school yearbook. Trowbridge graduated in 1952 from the College of Agriculture of the University of Wyoming in Laramie, where he was a member of the student senate, Kappa Sigma fraternity, and the Reserve Officers Training Corps. He then served as a lieutenant in the United States Army from 1952 to 1954.^[5]

On returning to Saratoga, Trowbridge served on the school board while continuing to operate the family farm. Elton Trowbridge was first elected in 1960 as a Democrat to the Wyoming House. He served until his death in office in 1974.^[1] Tom Trowbridge then moved to a ranch on Beaver Creek in Carbon County ten miles southeast of Grand Encampment, known as "Encampment".^[5]

Trowbridge was living in Encampment at the time of his election to the legislature five years after his father had vacated the seat. In the House, Trowbridge served on two committees: (1) Judiciary and (2) Transportation and Highways Committee. In the Senate, he served on three committees: (1) Agriculture, Public Lands & Water Resources, (2) Travel, Recreation & Wildlife, and (3) Mines, Minerals and Industrial Development.^[1] His obituary says that as a legislator, he "worked to represent fairly Wyoming small towns and rural citizens."^[5]

Trowbridge was Presbyterian and supported the Ranchers' Camp Meeting and Roundup Riders of the Rockies,^[5] an organization which claims "dedication to the perpetuation of the western tradition associated with the relationship between the American cowboy and his horse."^[6]

Trowbridge died in Cheyenne of complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was divorced from Shelmer Astleford “Shellie” Powley of Sun City, Arizona, and Joan Finch of Casper. Survivors included a daughter, Marilee T. Harper and husband, Ralph Terry Harper, of Saratoga; a son, Truit J. Trowbridge and wife, Christy, of San Diego, California; a granddaughter, Lisa Harper of Saratoga; a sister, Marietta T. Dinneen of Cheyenne, and two nephews, John W. Dinneen and James T. Dinneen, also from Cheyenne.^[5]

Services were held on July 13, 2009, in the Platte Valley Christian Center in Saratoga.^[5] Interment was at Saratoga Cemetery.

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