Biography
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Welcome and thank you for visiting my web site. I am Mark Gordon, a Republican running for Wyoming’s At-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Here I hope you will learn a little more about me, my family, and some of the reasons I am running for Wyoming’s only U.S. House seat. I also hope this campaign will ensure that our best days lie before us. My parents taught me early on to leave the world a better place for having been here; it was all part of growing up on a ranch. In stewardship, business, community service, and support of friends, family, and enterprising folks, I have tried to hold myself accountable to my parents’ lessons of citizenship.
My dad, Crawford Gordon, came to Dubois in 1932. After World War II he and my mom settled on a ranch in Mayoworth west of Kaycee in 1947. My sister and I were raised on that ranch. We grew up with people who had been here when the West was open range, who had come into the country in covered wagons, and who had known the hardships of the Depression. These were frugal people who appreciated the value of community. They taught us about responsibility, finishing a job, hard work and initiative.
We have a lot of work to do in this great country of ours, and we are burning daylight while we argue about who is responsible for what. I want to change all of that. I want to take courage, humility, and a spirit of “let’s get it done” to tackle intractable challenges like healthcare, reviving the economy, immigration, deficit spending, and our commitment to national security.
The complexity of these policy questions is not lost on me, and I am not new to the political arena. Although this is my first run at a partisan office, I served on the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council for four years, two as Chair. This period taught me the value of sound judgment as we grappled with decisions with far-reaching consequences and implications.
I am tired of the old saw that we can have either a good economy or a good environment. We have to work towards both and I have. For over thirty years, I have striven to run a ranch profitably while maintaining and enhancing the integrity of the land. It can be done.
My parents instilled in me the notion of service and leaving the world a better place for our time in it. That was a tall order because I grew up in a paradise. Our family often rode to favorite picnic areas on our ranch, and we always spent a week each summer in the mountains. After chores I would often go fishing, hunting, or just clamber about the hills. Wyoming is a wonderful place to live and to grow up.
I was raised appreciating the value of the land and all that it supports the way most ranchers do. After graduating from Middlebury College in 1979 with a BA in History, I came back to my family’s ranch in Kaycee to help my folks. Later my wife and I were able to buy our own ranch. I have had the opportunity to learn how to do a better job of ranching on four ranches for over 35 years.
We were also able to start a small catalogue business in Sheridan. Later, I owned a book shop with other partners on Sheridan’s Main Street. Five years ago, my wife Jennie and I helped reopen the Buffalo Theater, again literally on Main Street. These ventures taught me that government can do more to give entrepreneurs freedom to flourish and invigorate local economies.
Until last year I was also fortunate to have the opportunity to work for Apache Corporation. Apache is a Fortune 500 company. It has done all kinds of energy development across the globe. I was Director of Conservation and Stewardship, which meant I was one step below Vice President. I went to work for Apache because I felt it offered a great opportunity to be a part of an energy company that was at the cutting edge of technology and cared a great deal about stewardship of the land.
After my first wife, Sally, died tragically on an early morning run in 1993, I learned how hard it is to be a single parent raising two very young daughters. Fortunately, we are blessed to live in a supportive community, which helped us survive those challenging years. I also learned how critical a good school system, excellent teachers, and motivated students are to a child’s success. But even with all of that, it took the love of Jennie Muir and her two fabulous sons, my stepsons, to make our family whole again. Now, with their support and yours, I would like to give back to this great state that raised me to appreciate our people, our heritage, and the remarkable opportunities that lie before us.
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