Education and career Dave Freudenthal was born in
Thermopolis, the seat of
Hot Springs County in north central Wyoming, the seventh of eight children; he grew up on a farm north of town. Eventually, he graduated from
Amherst College in
Amherst,
Massachusetts, in 1973 with a
bachelor's degree in
economics. After graduating, he got a job with the Department of Economic Planning and Development as an economist and later became the state planning director for
Governor Edgar Herschler. Freudenthal received his
J.D. degree from the
University of Wyoming College of Law in 1980 and went into private practice. After retiring as governor, Freudenthal briefly worked at the law firm of
Crowell & Moring as senior counsel in the firm's
Cheyenne, Wyoming office before it closed. the law limited governors to eight years in office during a 16-year period. Freudenthal remained consistently popular with his constituents throughout his tenure, even though he was a Democrat in a state that had turned almost solidly Republican. As governor he often took rather conservative positions, leading to disagreements with federal officials and environmental groups. In fact, Freudenthal and his eventual Republican successor,
Matt Mead, notably held similar positions on various issues. The majority of his two terms oversaw an enormous energy boom and surpluses in government revenue, although this was later reversed after the
Great Recession; Freudenthal then called for cuts to state agencies as growth continued to slow. In June 2007, following the death of Republican U.S. Senator
Craig Thomas, he appointed Republican
John Barrasso to the
United States Senate; state law required him to select an appointee from a shortlist compiled by the Senator’s party. ==Personal life==