Lester Hunt
| Lester C. Hunt | |
|---|---|
 |
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United States Senator from Wyoming |
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In office January 3, 1949 – June 19, 1954 |
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| Preceded by | Edward V. Robertson |
| Succeeded by | Edward D. Crippa |
| Chair of the National Governors Association | |
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In office June 13, 1948 – January 3, 1949 |
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| Preceded by | Horace Hildreth |
| Succeeded by | William Preston Lane Jr. |
| 19th Governor of Wyoming | |
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In office January 4, 1943 – January 3, 1949 |
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| Preceded by | Nels H. Smith |
| Succeeded by | Arthur G. Crane |
| 9th Secretary of State of Wyoming | |
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In office January 1935 – January 4, 1943 |
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| Governor |
Leslie A. Miller Nels H. Smith |
| Preceded by | Alonzo M. Clark |
| Succeeded by | Mart Christensen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Lester Callaway Hunt July 8, 1892 Isabel, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 19, 1954 (aged 61) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Nathelle Higby |
| Education |
Illinois Wesleyan University (BS) St. Louis University (DVM) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
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| Service/branch |
 United States Army
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| Years of service | 1917–1919 (Active) 1919–1954 (Reserve) |
| Rank |
First Lieutenant (Active) Major (Reserve) |
| Unit | Army Reserve |
Lester Callaway Hunt, Sr. (July 8, 1892 – June 19, 1954), was a Democratic politician and dentist from the state of Wyoming. Hunt was the first to be elected to two consecutive terms as Wyoming's governor, serving as its 19th Governor from January 4, 1943, to January 3, 1949. In 1948, he was elected by an overwhelming margin to the U.S. Senate, and began his term on January 3, 1949.
Hunt supported a number of federal social programs and advocated for the federal government to make available low-cost health and dental insurance policies. He also supported a variety of programs proposed by the Eisenhower administration following the Republican landslide in the 1952 elections, including the abolition of segregation in the District of Columbia, and the expansion of Social Security.
An outspoken opponent of Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist campaign, Hunt challenged McCarthy and other Senators cooperating in his anti-Communist campaign by championing a proposed law restricting Congressional immunity and allowing individuals to sue members of Congress for slanderous statements. In June 1953, Hunt's son was arrested in Washington, D.C., on charges of soliciting sex with an undercover male police officer. Several Republican senators, including McCarthy, threatened Hunt with prosecution of his son and wide publication of the event unless he abandoned plans to run for re-election and resigned immediately, which Hunt refused to do. His son was convicted and fined on October 6, 1953, and on April 15, 1954, Hunt announced his intention to stand for re-election. Hunt changed his mind, however, after a Senate colleague renewed the threat to use his son's arrest against him, and on June 19, 1954, Hunt committed suicide in his Senate office.
Born in Isabel in Edgar County in eastern Illinois, Hunt visited Wyoming for the first time as a semi-professional baseball player. He graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University and then worked as a railroad switchman to put himself through dental school at Saint Louis University. After graduating in 1917, he moved to Lander, Wyoming, and established a practice. He joined the United States Army Dental Corps when the United States entered World War I, and served as a lieutenant from 1917 to 1919. After postgraduate study at Northwestern University in 1920, Hunt resumed his practice in Lander. He was president of the Wyoming State Dental Society and began his career in government as president of the Wyoming State Board of Dental Examiners from 1924 to 1928.
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