Former U. S. Rep and Vice President Dick Cheney would often tell this story about how his last name is pronounced. 

He says he attended a family reunion some years ago and sought out a favorite uncle who was the oldest person there. The old man was sitting in a rocking chair with a gentle dog in his lap. 

Dick asked his uncle: “Is our name pronounced CHEENEY or CHANEY?”

The uncle paused for a minute and then said “it is pronounced “CHANEY.”

Dick thanked him and complimented him on his little dog. “What kind is it?” he asked.

His uncle replied “that it was a BAGEL.”

Another line from Nebraska-born Cheney that I always enjoyed and have shared with him was his comment, “I wasn’t born in Wyoming but I got here as quickly as I could.”

Mary Guthrie of Cheyenne told me the following: “Here is a fun Wyoming political story.   It was related to me by Jim Griffith, former State Treasurer and Auditor and wonderful raconteur.  Given that it involves Jim’s father, I have to think that it is true.

“James Griffith, Sr., was the state chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party.  In 1942, no Republican had shown an interest in running for the U.S. House of Representatives.  Griffith had encouraged several people, including Frank A. Barrett, to run, but had no takers.   Barrett had unsuccessfully run for the seat six years before and had decided that national politics was not for him.  Griffith felt that there must be a Republican candidate, so he filled out a Petition for Nomination  in Barrett’s name, signed his signature,  and filed it with the Secretary of State.  

“When Barrett learned that a petition had been filed, he angrily called Griffith and said that he was going to withdraw.    Griffith convinced Barrett to think about it for a few days.  Griffith then got busy and called lots of his Republican pals and asked them to contact Barrett and encourage him to stay in the race.  This outpouring of support convinced Barrett to run and he was elected.  Later he was also elected Governor and U.S. Senator (the only Wyomingite to occupy all three offices).    

“It is an interesting twist of history that Senator Barrett might not have been such a successful politician but for  Griffith’s machinations.”

Former Craig, Colo.,  publisher Dave Simpson, who now lives in Cheyenne,  related this gem: “When I was a reporter in Laramie, one of my daily stops was the campus police. One day on my beat, I saw a campus police report that Governor Ed Herschler had gotten a parking ticket on campus. The report said, No Press Release! but in those Watergate days, I figured there was no valid reason for that, and duly reported in the Laramie Boomerang that the governor got a parking ticket. No big deal, just one sentence along with all the other entries that day. The next day, the campus police went ballistic. 

“Herschler, however, figured he parked in the wrong place and deserved the ticket. He put a $5 check in an envelope and sent it to the Laramie city manager, and asked him to make sure the fine was paid. 

“I grew up in Chicago, where politicians fix tickets all the time, and when I saw the Wyoming governor paying his own parking ticket, I realized that Wyoming is, indeed, different, and my kind of place.”

Yes, it was printed in the Daily Record section of the Boomerang. It was my job to go out and compile all the news in the Daily Record every afternoon from late 1973 until the end of 1978. Some of the most fun years of my time in the business.”

Brad Mead of Wyoming Whiskey fame and grandson of former Governor and Senator Cliff Hansen tells this story about his grandpa: “Cliff gave a great talk to a rousing crowd in Casper.  Afterward, he was feeling pretty good about himself and mentioned to his wife Martha, in the car, that ‘I wonder how many really important people there are here in Wyoming?’ Martha replied, somewhat dryly, ‘Probably about one less than you think there are.’”

Roberta Popeck of Lander tells this story about Hansen: He was campaigning at a ranch house near Tensleep and told the group including an old rancher, “I hope you folks remember me at election time.”

Bert said the old rancher replied: “I hope you remember us when you get elected!” 

Former Cody publisher Lee Myers, who now lives in Omaha,  recalls a time when presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was campaigning in Wyoming and stayed at a private home in Lovell. “Doubt we would ever see that again,” he says. 

Retired Thermopolis publisher Pat Schmidt shared this story: “Remember State Treasurer Stan Smith being left on the interstate by his wife Harriet in his underwear? He grew tired and asked her to take over driving on Interstate 80 late at night. She slid across the seat as he got out and opened the back door. Rather than wrinkle his suit, he took it off, hung it up and, deciding to get it the other side, closed the door behind the driver’s seat. 

“Harriet drove off, leaving Stan standing in his underwear. Stan was eventually able to get a trucker to stop and give him a ride to the next truck stop. He called the WHP who finally stopped Harriet and his suit.” 

 Stan and Harriet would always be campaigning playing the fiddle and piano, rather than talking about issues.

Check out Bill Sniffin’s columns at billsniffin.com. He is a longtime Wyoming journalist from Lander who has written six books, which are available at fine stores.  His latest is Wyoming at 125. His books are also available at wyomingwonders.com.