In the lore of the history of Wyoming, certain families emerge as great citizens who have helped shape our state into what it is today – the Simpsons, Thomsons, Nicholas's, Smiths, Sullivans, Hansens and many others have had multi-generational contributions to Wyoming and her history. We are all better off because of the civic involvement and sacrifices of those families.
That brings us to the sculpture. The bronze, commissioned as part of the Capitol Avenue Bronze project, commemorates the 59 years of service of five legislators related to the Anderson family, who served in various terms from 1923 to 2014.
The sculpture was created by Christine Knapp, an award-winning artist from Colorado. It depicts a barn owl in flight, representing wisdom and the rural roots of these five legislators, the active role they played in Wyoming government, and their foundational belief in the Bible.
Included in “A Family of Lawmakers” are the brothers L.C. Anderson and Reuben V Anderson, sons of Victor and Hannah Anderson who homesteaded in southeast Wyoming around1909. Bill McIlvain is Reuben’s son-in-law, married to Ila Anderson McIlvain, Reuben’s daughter. Rodney “Pete” Anderson is one of Reuben’s three sons. Matt Teeters is Pete Anderson’s grandson.
L.C. Anderson was elected to the house for the 1923/1924 legislative session. At the time, Governor William B. Ross spoke about the financial distress of the state having a deficit of $250,000 to $300,000, the construction of the Wyoming Industrial Institute at Worland for the confinement of young criminals, seven experimental farms, and high taxation of land. L.C. Anderson introduced a bill making it a crime for railroad companies to run trains when weather conditions prohibited the engineer from seeing the block signals.
Reuben Anderson came to Wyoming with his parents. They established a homestead between Albin and Pine Bluffs. In 1935, he followed his older brother to the Wyoming House of Representatives where he served six years. In 1940 he ran for the senate as a Democrat, and a local newspaper opined he was the only name on the Laramie County ticket that was outside of Cheyenne. The article went on to state that he was “no novice in political circles nor in the state legislature” and he was "unusually well qualified…having taken an active lead in farm cooperation work and he has come to believe that the farm problem cannot be isolated from the laboring man’s problems, but that the two must be worked out together.”
At 92, Bill McIlvain is the oldest living former Speaker of the House – having served during the 1990 Centennial Session, and the owl has just landed on an exact replica of his gavel. McIlvain was a principled leader who rose to the position of Speaker. He recalled as a freshman legislator being approached by a lobbyist with a piece of legislation allowing teachers in Wyoming to strike, which he declined.
The lobbyist responded saying, “We donated $100 to your campaign.”
McIlvain returned the money with a message that his votes could not be bought.
Rodney “Pete” Anderson served from 1993 until 2010. He rose to the position of House Speaker Pro Tempore and chaired the prestigious House Revenue Committee. I had the privilege of serving with Pete. He understood intricate details of Wyoming’s complicated tax system. (Try and understand Wyoming’s modified net-back natural gas tax calculation!)
Long before it was stylish, Pete took a firm line on tax increases and revenue enhancement proposals. He ensured Wyoming’s tax system was fair, and Wyoming had the lowest individual taxes in the country.
Matt Teeters served from 2006 to 2014, rising to the level of House Majority Whip. I had the opportunity to serve with Matt as well. He had a keen interest in educating Wyoming’s children.
As Chairman of the House Education Committee, Matt worked tirelessly to ensure Wyoming’s children had a free, equal, quality and ethical education system. He served as a legislator with principle, and did what he believed was right.
Wyoming is fortunate to have had these men who upheld the highest standards of faith and conduct contributing to the formation of our State.
Special thanks to Lavonda McIlvain Kopsa, who has served in various positions within the Wyoming Legislature for 28 years. She provided the research for this column as well as an excellent service to the people of Wyoming.
Tom Lubnau served in the Wyoming Legislature from 2004 – 2015 and is a former Speaker of the House. He can be reached at: YourInputAppreciated@gmail.com
