Wyoming Was the Last State To Do These Things
Wyoming was the 44th state to join the union. Most of us know we were the first to grant women the right to vote. The Cowboy State is the first to have a National Park and Monument. What about when Wyo was last? Here are a few times Wyoming was last. Were we late to the party? Or just the last man standing?
One of the Last State to Raise Drinking Age to 21
In 1988 Wyoming was one of the last state to raise the drinking age to 21. In 1984 The National Minimum Drinking Age Act became a law making the drinking age 21. It took an additional 4 years for the Cowboy State to adopt the policy.
Make Alcohol Illegal During Prohibition
The Cowboy State was one of the last Rocky Mountain states to make alcohol illegal in the days of prohibition. Wyoming was known as one of the wettest states. Lawmen had difficulties enforcing the laws once enacted. To make matters worse politicians and police were often receiving bribes making it all but impossible to keep the state dry.
Ban Capital Punishment for Juveniles
Up until 2005, kids could be executed. That all changed with the Supreme Court case Roper v. Simmons. Individual states could ban the practice of the death penalty in cases involving someone under the age of 18, and Wyoming did in 2004. Also the last case of capital punishment in the Cowboy State was Mark Hopkinson in 1992.
Wyoming is Last When Listing All States Alphabetically
Since we don’t have any states that start with the letters X, Y, or Z, Wyoming will always be last of any list of states when sorted alphabetically. When you get those drop-down menus to select your state, zip right down to the bottom of the list and that’s where you will find Wyoming.
Last Place for Transparency and Accountability
The watchdog group Center for Public Integrity gave Wyoming the lowest possible score for government integrity. Meaning policies were the worst when it comes to transparency and accountability. That there are not a lot of options for citizens to keep tabs on our local government. This rings true with the recent news of the Panama Papers.