Senator Malcolm Wallop had deep roots in Wyoming, where his family homesteaded in
the 1880s. He attended public school in Big Horn and later became a businessman, cattle
rancher and politician in the Cowboy State. Today, Wallop’s children and grandchildren
in Big Horn and Sheridan represent the fourth and fifth generations of the family
in Wyoming. Born on February 27, 1933, in New York City, Wallop graduated from Cate
School in Santa Barbara CA, and Yale University in 1954. Post-graduation he served
in the United States Army and was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant in 1957
and then spent the next decade as a cattle rancher in Big Horn, Wyoming. He ran successfully
for the Wyoming House of Representatives as a Republican in 1969 serving until 1973,
and as a Wyoming State Senator from 1973-1976.
In 1976 he was elected to the United States Senate for the first of three terms, serving
the people of Wyoming until 1995. His time in the U.S. Senate came at a critical time
for the country and state, and during his tenure he spearheaded several initiatives
important for Wyoming. In his first term, Wallop authored the legislation that established
the Congressional Award program to recognize outstanding volunteerism among America's youth. Additionally,
he spearheaded the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, which created
two programs: one for regulating active coal mines and a second for reclaiming abandoned
mine lands. This legislation not only assisted Wyoming’s mining industry; but it
also benefitted by education providing funding that is important to the state to this
day. Senator Wallop served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Select Committee
on Intelligence, and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee where he was the ranking
member from 1990-1994 and played a critical role in passing the 1992 Energy Policy
Act. He also served as the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics from
1981-1983.
In 1996, Wallop served as General Chairman and Executive Director of the Steve Forbes presidential campaign, which succeeded in winning primary victories in Deleware and Arizona.
Senator Wallop passed away at his home near Big Horn on September 14, 2011, at the age of 78.
Publications
- Wallop, Malcolm. "The Environment: Air, Water & Public Lands," In A Changing America: Conservatives View the 80s from the United States Senate, edited by Paul Laxalt and Richard S. Williamson, pp. 133–56. South Bend, Ind.: Regnery/Gateway, 1980.
- Wallop, Malcolm, and Angelo Codevilla. The Arms Control Delusion. San Francisco: ICS Press, 1987.
