John F. Raper, Jr.
Judge of the Wyoming Supreme Court
In office
December 18, 1974  June 14, 1983
Appointed byStanley K. Hathaway
Preceded byJohn Joseph McIntyre
Succeeded byG. Joseph Cardine
Wyoming Attorney General
In office
1963–1965
Preceded byNorman B. Gray
Succeeded byMilward Simpson
United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming
In office
1953–1961
PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded byJohn J. Hickey
Succeeded byRobert N. Chaffin
Personal details
Born(1913-06-13)June 13, 1913
Mapleton, Iowa, U.S.
DiedJune 10, 1993(1993-06-10) (aged 79)
Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Resting placeSheridan Municiple Cemetery, Sheridan, Wyoming, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseNellie Marie Chesler Raper
Parent
  • John F. Raper Sr. (father)
EducationUniversity of Wyoming College of Law (JD)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceWyoming Army National Guard
Years of service1937-1960
RankColonel
Unit115th Cavalry Regiment
300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
Battles/warsKorean War

John F. Raper, Jr. (June 13, 1913 – June 10, 1993) was a justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court from December 18, 1974, to June 14, 1983.

Born in Mapleton, Iowa, Raper received his Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming in 1936 and undertook the practice of law in Sheridan, Wyoming.

He served from 1937 to 1960 in the Wyoming Army National Guard, where he became a colonel.[1] He was in the 115th Cavalry Regiment and during the Korean War, he was the commander of the 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, known as the "Cowboy Cannoneers".[1][2][3] While in Korea, the 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion fought with distinction and earned the Distinguished Unit Citation.[4]

He also maintained his law practice into the 1950s.[5]

In 1954, Raper was appointed United States Attorney for Wyoming.[6]

He was then Wyoming Attorney General, and a Wyoming district court judge until he was appointed by to the Wyoming Supreme Court, on December 18, 1974, by Governor Stanley K. Hathaway. Raper served until his retirement, on June 14, 1983.[5]

After a decade in retirement, Raper died in Cheyenne, Wyoming on June 10, 1993. Having also been a colonel in the Wyoming National Guard, the National Guard armory in Cheyenne is named for him.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Raper Appointed Cheyenne Judge", Casper Star-Tribune, Casper, Wyoming, 75th year, number 330, December 1, 1966, page 13.
  2. "Raper to Get Attorney Job", Casper Tribune-Herald, Casper, Wyoming, 61st year, number 303, February 1, 1953, page 1.
  3. "Cowboy Cannoneers", Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 131, September 27, 2010, Senate, pages S7502-S7503, from the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office.
  4. "300th Field Artillery, WYARNG", The Army Historical Foundation website. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Wyoming State Archives biography of John F. Raper, available at 2301 Central Ave, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001.
  6. Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States (1957), page 1355.


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