Thomas F. Stroock (October 10, 1925 – December 13, 2009) was an American businessman,

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

, and a Republican politician from

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in and the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the List of municipalities in Wyoming, second-most populous city in the state after Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne, with the population at 59,038 as of th ...

Biography

Early life

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Stroock attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, alongside future U.S. President

George Herbert Walker Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

. He was a member of

Chi Phi Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was forme ...

fraternity. After graduation, he served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

during World War II and then relocated to Wyoming, where he devoted his remaining years. He was brought to Casper, Wyoming in 1949 by his current employer, the Stanolind Oil and Gas Company.

Career

Upon settling in Casper, he founded several petroleum companies. He served as a member of the

Wyoming State Senate The Wyoming Senate is the upper house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 31 Senators in the Senate, representing an equal number of constituencies across Wyoming, each with a population of at least 17,000. The Senate meets at the Wyom ...

from

Natrona County Natrona County is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 79,955, making it the second-most populous county in Wyoming. Its county seat is Casper. Natrona County comprises the Casper, WY ...

in 1967, from 1971 to 1974, and finally from 1979 to 1989. He was the Senate vice president in 1989. In 1974, he left the state Senate to run unsuccessfully on the GOP ticket for Wyoming's at-large seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, having been defeated by the incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Teno Roncalio. In 1989, he was named

United States Ambassador to Guatemala The following is a list of ambassadors of the United States, or other chiefs of mission, to Guatemala. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.'' See ...

by his former Yale classmate President Bush. He held that post until 1992. In 1989, he was named

by his former Yale classmate President Bush. He held that post until 1992. During his time as ambassador, he fought against drug trafficking. He also had to handle the case of the American nun

Dianna Ortiz Dianna Mae Ortiz (September 2, 1958 – February 19, 2021) was an American Roman Catholic sister of the Ursuline order. While serving as a missionary in Guatemala, during its civil war, she was abducted on November 2, 1989 by members of the Gua ...

, who had been abducted, raped, and tortured by the Guatemalan military, with possible complicity of the United States, and whose account he was unwilling to accept.

Personal life

He and his wife, Marta, had four daughters. He died on December 13, 2009, at the age of eighty-four.Former U.S. ambassador, oilman Stroock dies Trib.com

References

External links

Thomas F. Stroock Papers
at the

American Heritage Center The American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West (including politics, settlement, Native Americans, and W ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strook, Tom 1925 births 2009 deaths Businesspeople from New York City Politicians from Casper, Wyoming Republican Party Wyoming state senators American energy industry businesspeople Ambassadors of the United States to Guatemala Yale University alumni United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II 20th-century members of the Wyoming Legislature 20th-century American businesspeople