| Thyra Stevenson | |
| State House: | Idaho |
| District: | 6th |
| Term Start: | December 1, 2016 |
| Term End: | May 11, 2020 |
| Predecessor: | Dan Rudolph |
| Successor: | Aaron von Ehlinger |
| Term Start1: | December 1, 2012 |
| Term End1: | November 30, 2014 |
| Predecessor1: | Tom Trail |
| Successor1: | Dan Rudolph |
| Birth Date: | September 4, 1944 |
| Birth Place: | Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, U.S. |
| Party: | Republican |
| Education: | Boston University (BA, BA) New York University (MA) University of Washington (PhD) |
| Children: | 5 |
| Allegiance: |  United States |
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, dying in office.
Stevenson was born in Palo Alto, California, and moved to Lewiston, Idaho, with her family at the age of 13 when her father accepted a job with PotlatchDeltic. She graduated from Lewiston High School as her class's valedictorian in 1962.[1] [2] Stevenson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree English and another in Spanish from Boston University. She earned a certificate in Spanish from the New York University of Madrid in Spain,[3] a Master of Arts in Spanish literature from New York University, and a PhD in Latin American literature from the University of Washington.
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.[4]
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 Squadron. She was a professor of Spanish at University of Washington.[2]
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.[5]
On November 4, 2014, Stevenson was defeated by Dan Rudolf with 49.9% of the votes.
On November 8, 2016, Stevenson was re-elected to her old seat in the Idaho House of Representatives. Stevenson defeated Bob Blakely with 56.55% of the votes.
Stevenson was the vice-chair of the Revenue and Taxation Committee.[2] She died of heart problems while in office and Republican Governor Brad Little appointed Aaron von Ehlinger to the remainder of her term.[6]
| Candidate | Votes | Pct | Candidate | Votes | Pct | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Primary[7] | align="right" | 2,566 | 100% | |||||||||||||
| 2012 General[8] | align="right" | 9,814 | 54.2% | align="right" | 8,294 | 45.8% | ||||||||||
| 2014 Primary[9] | align="right" | 1,938 | 100% | |||||||||||||
| 2014 General[10] | align="right" | 6,230 | 50.1% | align="right" | 6,205 | 49.9% | ||||||||||
| 2016 Primary[11] | align="right" | 2,148 | 100% | |||||||||||||
| 2016 General[12] | align="right" | 10,600 | 56.6% | align="right" | 8,144 | 43.4% |
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.[2] [13]
Stevenson died on May 11, 2020, at age 75, from complications of a heart attack she suffered a week prior.[14]