John Wightman
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John Wightman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of the Executive Board of the Nebraska Legislature | |
| In office January 7, 2009 – January 7, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | L. Patrick Engel |
| Succeeded by | Bob Krist |
| Member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 36th district | |
| In office 2007–2015 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Cudaback |
| Succeeded by | Matt Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Milton Wightman October 2, 1938 North Platte, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 2017 (aged 78) Lexington, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
John Milton Wightman (October 2, 1938 – January 5, 2017) was a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. He served two terms, from 2007 to 2015, in the Nebraska Legislature, representing a district in the central part of the state. Wightman was a member of the Republican Party.
Early life and education
[edit]Wightman was born on October 2, 1938, in North Platte, Nebraska. He grew up between Sumner and Overton, and graduated from Sumner High School in 1956. He obtained a B.S. from Kearney State College, now the University of Nebraska at Kearney, in 1959. After teaching high school for one year in Dannebrog, he attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law, receiving a J.D. in 1963.[1][2][3]
In 1963, Wightman moved to Lexington to practice law.[2]
Political career
[edit]Wightman served several terms on the Lexington city council, amounting to some 20 years; for two of those years, he served as the city's mayor.[4]
In 2006, Wightman ran for the Nebraska legislature from the 36th District, which consisted of parts of Buffalo and Dawson Counties in the south-central part of the state. He was one of two candidates, both Republicans, in the nonpartisan race; the other was Dick Pierce, a farmer and rancher from Miller, then a member of the Buffalo County Board of Supervisors.[5][6] In the May 2006 primary election, Wightman received 4227 of the 7147 votes cast, or 59.1% of the total; Pierce obtained 2920 votes, or 40.9%.[7] Since only two candidates had run in the primary, both moved on to the November general election, which Wightman won with 5623 votes (55.3%) to Pierce's 4552 votes (44.7%).[8]
In 2010, Wightman was unopposed for re-election to the 36th District seat.[9] Based on the 2010 U.S. census, the boundaries of the district were redrawn in 2011; it now consisted of the entirety of Dawson and Custer Counties, and the northern half of Buffalo County.[4][10]
Wightman suffered health problems during his tenure in the Legislature, including several knee replacements, one of which was followed by a persistent infection that forced him to miss part of the 2011 legislative session. In September 2012, he suffered what was described as a "moderate" stroke; later, he stated that he had no memory of the two weeks after the stroke.
Under Nebraska's term-limits law, Wightman was ineligible to run for a third consecutive term in 2014.[11] He was succeeded by Gothenburg banker Matt Williams.[12]
Personal life
[edit]In 1964, he married Janet L. Hyde; the couple eventually had three children.[1][2]
Wightman died on January 5, 2017, at the age of 78.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b 2010–2011 Nebraska Blue Book, p. 308. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
- ^ a b c Young, Joanne. "Fresh Faces: John Wightman". Lincoln Journal Star. 2007-04-07. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
- ^ "Wightman goes the distance in public service". Archived May 28, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Unicameral Update. 2007-01-26. Retrieved 2015-05-28. Archived 2015-05-28 at Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b Mortensen, Ellen. "Custer County has new representation". Archived May 28, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Custer County Chief. 2011-06-30. Retrieved 2015-05-28. Archived 2015-05-28 at Wayback Machine.
- ^ "38th Legislative District". Kearney Hub. 2006-05-02. Retrieved 2015-05-28. The title and article erroneously refer to the "38th District" rather than the 36th; other sources, e.g. Nancy Hicks, "Legislative candidates look familiar", Lincoln Journal Star, 2006-05-11, retrieved 2015-05-28, place the race in the 36th District.
- ^ "Nebraska Legislative Districts 2002–2003". Nebraska Access. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
- ^ "Nebraska Election 2006: Official Election Results: Member of the Legislature". Archived February 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved 2015-05-28. Archived 2015-02-21 at Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Nebraska Election 2006: Official General Election Results: Member of the Legislature". Archived February 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved 2015-05-28. Archived 2015-02-10 at Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Banker Williams seeks Wightman’s seat in Unicam". Kearney Hub. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
- ^ "Legislative District 36 - LB703 (2011)". Nebraska Legislature. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
- ^ Barrett, Elizabeth. "Term limits, health issues bring about Sen. Wightman’s last legislative session". Gothenburg Times. 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
- ^ Barrett, Elizabeth. "Matt Williams ready for 104th session". Gothenburg Times. 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
- ^ Foster, Scott (January 5, 2017). "FORMER STATE SEN. AND LEXINGTON MAYOR JOHN WIGHTMAN PASSES". Lexington, Nebraska: KRVN. Archived from the original on January 11, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.