While attending the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Thone served as the pledge president of the
Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. During that time, one of the pledges was a young
Johnny Carson whom Thone agreed to sponsor because he felt that Carson's humor would be an asset to the fraternity. Following graduation from the
University of Nebraska College of Law in 1950, he set up private practice in
Lincoln, Nebraska. He served as
deputy secretary of state of Nebraska from 1951 to 1952. In 1952, he became President of the Nebraska
Junior Chamber of Commerce. He married Ruth Raymond on August 16, 1953. From 1954 to 1970, he served as Administrative Assistant to U.S. Senator
Roman Hruska. Thone was elected to the
United States House of Representatives in 1970, representing
Nebraska's 1st congressional district from 1971 to 1979. During his tenure in Congress, he served as assistant minority whip, and as a member of the
House Select Committee on Assassinations.
Governorship In the
1978 election, he was elected the
34th Governor of Nebraska, a post he held until he was narrowly defeated for reelection in the
1982 election by
Bob Kerrey, leaving office in January 1983. He chaired the Old West Economic Development Commission from 1981 to 1982, and the Agricultural Committee of the President's Export Council from 1982 to 1985.
Later career In the
1992 presidential election, he cast one of the state's five electoral votes for President
George H. W. Bush. In
2008, he did the same for
John McCain. After retiring from public life, he practiced law in the Lincoln, Nebraska office of Erickson and Sederstrom. Thone died on March 7, 2018, at age 94. ==References==