serviceyears branch death_date birth_date term_end death_place profession preceded term_start order spouse image rank succeeded predecessor birth_place jr/sr party office state successor article_title birth_name
1917-1919 -lrb- army -rrb- 1919-1954 -lrb- reserve -rrb- army -lrb- world war i -rrb- army reserve 19 june 1954 8 july 1892 june 19 , 1954 january 3 , 1949 washington , d.c. dentist edward v. robertson january 3 , 1949 january 4 , 1943 19th nathelle -rrb- hunt -lrb- '' née '' emily nathelle higby lester hunt.jpg first lieutenant -lrb- army -rrb- major -lrb- reserve -rrb- edward d. crippa nels h. smith isabel , edgar county illinois , u.s. united states senator democrat governor of wyoming wyoming arthur g. crane lester c. hunt
 lester callaway hunt
lester c. hunt

lester callaway hunt , sr. -lrb- july 8 , 1892june 19 , 1954 -rrb- , was a democratic politician and dentist from the state of wyoming .
he was the first person elected to two consecutive terms as wyoming 's governor , serving as its 19th governor from january 4 , 1943 , to january 3 , 1949 .
in 1948 , he was elected by an overwhelming margin to the u.s. senate , and began his term on january 3 , 1949 .
he was a fiscal conservative , who nevertheless supported a number of federal social programs and advocated for the federal government to make available low-cost health and dental insurance policies .
he also supported a variety of programs proposed by the eisenhower administration following the republican landslide in the 1952 elections , including the abolition of segregation in the district of columbia , and the expansion of social security .
an outspoken opponent of senator joseph mccarthy 's anti-communist campaign , hunt challenged mccarthy and other senators cooperating in his anti-communist campaign by championing a proposed law restricting congressional immunity and allowing individuals to sue members of congress for slanderous statements .
in june 1953 , hunt 's son was arrested in washington on charges of soliciting sex with an undercover male police officer .
several republican senators , including mccarthy , threatened hunt with prosecution of his son and wide publication of the event , unless he abandoned plans to run for re-election and resigned immediately , which hunt refused to do .
his son was convicted and fined on october 6 , 1953 , and on april 15 , 1954 , hunt announced his intention to stand for re-election .
hunt changed his mind , however , after a senate colleague renewed the threat to use his son 's arrest against him , and on june 19 , 1954 , in a depressed state of mind , hunt committed suicide in his u.s. senate office .
