Joe Hickey (politician)

John Joseph Hickey (August 22, 1911 – September 22, 1970), known as Joe or J. J. Hickey, was an American judge and politician who served the 24th Governor of Wyoming and Senator as a Democrat before sitting on the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He was the first Governor of Wyoming to be born in the 20th century.

Early life
Joe Hickey was born in Rawlins, Wyoming, on August 22, 1911, to John Joseph Hickey and Brigit O'Meara. John moved to Wyoming in 1873, and was employed by the Union Pacific Railroad. Joe graduated from public school in Rawlins in 1929, and graduated with a law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1934.

Hickey served in the army during World War II for 42 months and received the rank of private.

In 1942 he joined the army as a private and after serving for forty two months rose to the rank of captain. On December 25, 1945, he was honorably discharged and on January 15, 1946, he married Winifred Espy. He served as county attorney of Carbon County from 1946 to 1949.

Early politics
Hickey served as the treasurer of Rawlins from 1935 to 1940, and was the chair of the Carbon County Democratic Party. He was county attorney of Carbon County from 1939 to 1942. President Harry S. Truman appointed him as the U.S. District Attorney for Wyoming in 1949. Hickey was a U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming from 1949 to 1954.

Hickey became chair of the Wyoming Democratic Party in 1954.

Governor and Senator
He was the Governor of Wyoming from 1959 to 1961.

Hickey seconded the presidential nomination of Lyndon B. Johnson at the 1960 Democratic National Convention. During the 1960 presidential election Hickey stated that the issue over Kennedy's Catholicism would not be important in Wyoming due to Hickey, who was also a Catholic, having won in 1958.

Hickey resigned as governor and Secretary of State Jack R. Gage ascended to the position. On January 2, 1961, Gage appointed him to fill the vacancy created by U.S. Senator-elect Keith Thomson's death. Hickey lost the election in 1962. On October 15, 1962, he suffered a heart attack, but recovered.

Tenth Circuit
He was in private practice of law in Rawlins from 1962 to 1966. Hickey was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on May 12, 1966, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacated by Judge John Coleman Pickett. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 9, 1966, and received his commission the same day.

Death
In July 1970, Hickey was hospitalized for a stomach ulcer and in August he went to the Presbyterian Medical Center in Denver for lung cancer treatment. On September 22, 1970, he died in a Cheyenne hospital. He was buried on September 24, and eulogized by Bishop Hubert Newell.