World Agriculture Directory: the home of the world's largest agriculture database. Fastest way to find events, farms and agribusiness that suit your needs. Agriculture Event Directory

Cattlemen Hall of FameBeef cattle barons, cowboys, breeders and builders from around the world

Cattle Barons and Land Owners

Joseph M. Carey: The Judge Who Ranched, Won Statehood and Became Governor

A Delaware-born lawyer who combined ranching, banking and politics in the making of Wyoming.

Who Was Joseph M. Carey?

Joseph Maull Carey was a lawyer, judge, rancher and politician whose career spans most of Wyoming's early history. He was born January 19, 1845, in Milton, Delaware, to a farming family that could afford him a good education. After two years of college he went to the University of Pennsylvania and earned a law degree in 1867. The Wyoming State Historical Society's encyclopedia entry says he kept the title "Judge" for the rest of his life.

A Federal Appointment and a Territorial Bench

Carey was active in politics from youth and worked for Ulysses S. Grant's presidential campaign. Grant appointed him U.S. attorney for Wyoming Territory, which the museum biography dates to 1869. He later became an associate justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court, a post the encyclopedia ties to his lasting nickname.

As the territory's delegate to Congress he authored the bill to admit Wyoming as a state, which became law in 1890.

Ranching, Banking and the Stock Growers

In 1879 Carey tired of public life and began a ranching and business career with his brother. The encyclopedia does not name the ranch or company, and neither do the other sources reviewed, so this profile does not guess at brands or herd sizes. What is documented is his place in the cattle trade's institutions: he took part in the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and in the Stock Growers National Bank of Cheyenne.

His business success then drew him back into public life, and he was soon elected mayor of Cheyenne. The museum calls him the city's 14th mayor and says he focused on public works.

The Key to Carey's Success

Carey is best understood as a man who linked ranching money to public office, and public office to the range industry's needs. The sources show a pattern more than a single big deal.

It also shows the political risk of that mix, which is a limit worth stating: a rancher-politician is always seen as serving his own side.

  • He built a professional base first. His law degree and federal appointment came before ranching.
  • He partnered with family. He started ranching in 1879 with his brother.
  • He joined the industry bodies, including the Wyoming Stock Growers Association.
  • He tied in with banking through the Stock Growers National Bank of Cheyenne.
  • He turned success into office, serving as mayor, delegate, senator and governor.
  • He changed parties in 1910, switching to the Democrats and winning the governorship.

Statehood and the U.S. Senate

Carey was elected one of Wyoming's first U.S. senators on November 12, 1890, serving from December 1, 1890, to March 3, 1895, alongside Francis E. Warren. He returned from Washington in 1894, according to the encyclopedia. The museum adds that he supported progressive causes throughout his life, including women's suffrage, and stayed active in national Republican politics.

Governor of Wyoming

In 1910 Carey switched to the Democratic Party and was elected governor. He served from January 2, 1911, to January 4, 1915, with a focus on progressive reforms. His son Robert D. Carey later also became governor of Wyoming.

Carey died February 5, 1924, in Cheyenne.

Honors and Where to Read More

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum inducted Carey into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1959, as recorded on its inductee page. For a fuller political timeline, see the Wikipedia article on Joseph M. Carey, used here only as a lead.

On farm.FM, the ranching section covers the northern plains cattle business he worked in, and a farm.FM story about Wyoming cattle and politics adds more.

Timeline

  1. 1845Born January 19 in Milton, Delaware
  2. 1867Earns a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania
  3. 1869Appointed U.S. attorney for Wyoming Territory by President Grant
  4. 1879Begins a ranching and business career with his brother
  5. 1890Elected first U.S. senator from Wyoming on November 12
  6. 1895Leaves the Senate on March 3
  7. 1911Takes office as governor on January 2
  8. 1915Leaves office January 4
  9. 1924Dies February 5 in Cheyenne

Frequently asked questions

Who was Joseph M. Carey?

Joseph Maull Carey was a Delaware-born lawyer and rancher who became Wyoming Territory's delegate, one of its first U.S. senators and governor from 1911 to 1915.

Did Carey write Wyoming's statehood bill?

Yes. As the territory's delegate to Congress he authored the bill to admit Wyoming to statehood, which was achieved in 1890.

What was Carey's connection to ranching?

In 1879 he began a ranching and business career with his brother and took part in the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and the Stock Growers National Bank of Cheyenne.

When was Carey inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners?

The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum lists Joseph Maull Carey as a 1959 inductee.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

More from the hall