Roy Edwards (politician)

{{Short description|American politician (1954–2020)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Roy Edwards

|image =

|state_house = Wyoming

|district = 53rd

|term_start = January 5, 2015

|term_end = November 2, 2020

|predecessor = Gregg Blikre

|successor = Chris Knapp

|birth_name = Roy Harlie Edwards

|birth_date = {{birth date|1954|05|27}}

|birth_place = Gillette, Wyoming, U.S.

|residence =

|death_date = {{death date and age|2020|11|2|1954|05|27}}

|death_place = Casper, Wyoming, U.S.

|spouse = Glenda

|children = 3

|profession =

|website =

|party = Republican

|alma_mater = Campbell County High School

}}

Roy Harlie Edwards{{cite web |url=https://www.kemmerergazette.com/article/the-legacy-of-roy-edwards |title=The legacy of Roy Edwards|publisher=Kemmerer Gazette |accessdate=February 13, 2021}} (May 27, 1954{{snds}}November 2, 2020) was an American politician from Wyoming.

Early life

Edwards was born in Gillette, Wyoming, on May 27, 1954. He graduated from Campbell County High School in 1972.{{cite web |title=Roy Edwards' Biography |url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/100261/roy-edwards |website=Vote Smart |accessdate=30 June 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://wyoleg.gov/Legislators/2020/H/2005 |title=House District 53: Representative Roy Edwards|publisher=Wyoming Legislature |accessdate=February 20, 2020}}

Career

Edwards was the owner of the Edwards Title Company LLC. He served on the Gillette City Council for 12 years and on the Campbell County Board of Commissioners for 8 years.{{cite web |url=https://kemmerergazette.com/article/the-legacy-of-roy-edwards |title=The legacy of Roy Edwards|publisher=The Kemmerer Gazette |accessdate=November 24, 2020}} On November 4, 2014, Edwards was elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives where he represented the 53rd district as a Republican. He assumed office on January 5, 2015.{{cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Roy_Edwards |title=Roy Edwards|publisher=Ballotpedia |accessdate=February 20, 2020}}

Political positions

He was considered politically conservative. The American Conservative Union's Center for Legislative Accountability gives him a lifetime rating of 84.14.{{cite web |title=Rep. Roy Edwards |url= http://ratings.conservative.org/people/38662006-a366-41fb-8cb4-341c50ea0558 |website=American Conservative Union Foundation |access-date=9 June 2021 |language=en}}

Personal life

Edwards was an Independent Baptist. He was married to his wife, Glenda, and had three children and five grandchildren.

Edwards died in office from complications of COVID-19 in Casper, Wyoming, on November 2, 2020, at age 66, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wyoming.{{cite web |url=https://wyofile.com/edwards-son-describes-how-covid-19-came-on-quickly/ |title=Edwards' son describes how COVID-19 came on quickly|date=11 November 2020 |publisher=WyoFile |accessdate=September 25, 2021}}{{cite web | title=Wyoming state Rep Roy Edwards dies of undisclosed illness | url=https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-gillette-wyoming-general-elections-elections-7e71c8b2f80a5edf0b46a76e2ecf7979 | date=November 3, 2020 | work=Associated Press | access-date=July 10, 2021}} His death occurred the day before the general election that year, in which he was running unopposed.{{cite web |url=https://www.kpvi.com/news/national_news/gillette-republican-lawmaker-dies-a-day-before-the-election/article_76409959-fb0c-5bc0-802d-98a5697c977e.html |title=Gillette Republican lawmaker dies a day before the election |publisher=KPVI-DT |accessdate=November 2, 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

References