Quick Facts
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Thyra Kay Stevenson (September 4, 1944 – May 11, 2020) was an American politician from Idaho. She was a Republican member of Idaho House of Representatives from District 6 in the A seat.
Early life
Stevenson was born in Palo Alto, California.
Education
Stevenson earned a BA in English and another BA degree in Spanish from Boston University. She earned a certificate in Spanish from the University of Madrid in Spain, a MA in Spanish literature from New York University, and a PhD in Latin American literature from the University of Washington.
Career
Stevenson began flying when she was a child. As an experienced pilot, she flew planes such as DC-3s, Convairs, Boeing 727 cargo and passenger planes.
Stevenson served in the military as an Aircraft Commander, Flotilla Commander, and pilot instructor in the United States Coast Guard. Stevenson was also a Chief Information Officer in the AuxAir Squadon. She was a Professor of Spanish at University of Washington.
On November 6, 2012, Stevenson won the election and became a Republican member of Idaho House of Representatives for District 6 seat A. Stevenson defeated Pete Gertonson with 54.2% of the votes.
On November 4, 2014, as an incumbent, Stevenson lost the seat for District 6 seat A. Stevenson was defeated by Dan Rudolf with 49.9% of the votes.
On November 8, 2016, Stevenson won the election and became a Republican member of Idaho House of Representatives for District 6 seat A again. Stevenson defeated Bob Blakely with 56.55% of the votes. On November 6, 2018, as an incumbent, Stevenson won the election and continued serving District 6 seat A. Stevenson defeated Rick Tousley with 59.0% of the votes.
Stevenson was the vice chair person of the Revenue and Taxation Committee.
Elections
| Year | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Candidate | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Primary | Thyra Stevenson | 2,566 | 100% | ||||||
| 2012 General | Thyra Stevenson | 9,814 | 54.2% | Pete Gertonson | 8,294 | 45.8% | |||
| 2014 Primary | Thyra Stevenson (incumbent) | 1,938 | 100% | ||||||
| 2014 General | Dan Rudolph | 6,230 | 50.1% | Thyra Stevenson (incumbent) | 6,205 | 49.9% | |||
| 2016 Primary | Thyra Stevenson | 2,148 | 100% | ||||||
| 2016 General | Thyra Stevenson | 10,600 | 56.6% | Bob Blakey | 8,144 | 43.4% |
Personal life and death
In 1978, Stevenson married Walter Noel Greenham (1941–2015), a Navy veteran and computer engineer. She had five children. Stevenson lived in California, until returning to Lewiston, Idaho after retirement. Stevenson served on the Lewiston City Council.
Stevenson died on May 11, 2020, at age 75, from complications of a heart attack she suffered a week prior.