Ed Herschler
'Gov. Ed' dies at 71
Wyoming and Niobrara County lost a good friend in former Wyoming Gov. Ed Herschler who died Monday, according to Jim Griffith, former state treasurer and auditor. Griffith served in state government with Herschler.
"Ed and I served 12 years together in state government. He wore the black hat (Democrat) and I wore the white hat (Republican)," Griffith said. "He and I were good friends.
"If it were not for Gov. Ed there would not have been a Women's Center in Lusk," Griffith said, noting that Herschler was on the Board of Charities and Reform and made the recommendation to locate the women's correctional facility in Lusk.
Herschler, Wyoming's only three-term governor, died Monday afternoon at Laramie County Memorial Hospital in Cheyenne from cancer. He had served the state from Jan. 6, 1975 to Jan. 5, 1987.
Griffith, reached at his home in Peoria, Ariz., said the former governor's death "bothered him greatly. He was the sort of man you thought never would die."
"He was a man of good judgement and a friend of all Wyoming. He was one of a few Democrats that carried Niobrara County. The county did vote for him the last time he ran. He was a very fine man."
Herschler spent a total of 37 years in public service including time he spent in the Wyoming legislature, Marines, Lincoln County attorney, and governor. He was highly decorated in World War II.