Owen Petersen is a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 member of the Wyoming State House of Representatives for the 19th district, encompassing Uinta County

Uinta County, Wyoming

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,742 people, 6,823 households, and 5,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 8,011 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...

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Biography

Owen Petersen was born on November 19, 1942 in Lyman, Wyoming

Lyman, Wyoming

Lyman is a town in Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,938 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lyman is located at ....

. He received a B.S. in 1965, an M.S. in 1967, and a J.D. in 1974, all from the University of Wyoming

University of Wyoming

The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...

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He is a retired military officer.

He has been a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives since 2001. In 2009, he sponsored HB 74, a bill that would have made marriage contracts from out-of-state valid in Wyoming so long as they involve one man and one woman

Same-sex marriage in the United States

The federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. The lack of federal recognition was codified in 1996 by the Defense of Marriage Act, before Massachusetts became the first state to grant marriage licenses...

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He is a member of the National Rifle Association

National Rifle Association

The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...

, the American Legion

American Legion

The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...

, the Lions Clubs International

Lions Clubs International

Lions Clubs International is a secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1,368,683 members in 191 countries around the world founded by Melvin Jones Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization aims to meet the needs of communities on a local and...

, Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. It currently has approximately 780,000 members, mostly in the United States and Canada.-Introduction:Ducks Unlimited was...

, and the AARP

AARP

AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is the United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, PhD, a retired educator from California, and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a...

. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is married with three children and seven grandchildren.