Wallop, Malcolm

Malcolm Wallop was United States Senator from Wyoming from 1977-1995. He was born in New York City in 1933 and later attended public schools in Cody, Wyoming, and the Cate School in California. He graduated from Yale University in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Wallop authored the 1977 Wallop Amendment to the Surface Mining Act, helped to establish more state control of natural resources, reduced income taxation, established greater 5th Amendment protection for private property owners, and supported a more aggressive role in U.S. Defense policy. After retirement in 1995, he founded the Frontiers of Freedom Institute, a policy group.

Malcolm Wallop was a United States Senator from Wyoming from 1977-1995. Wallop was born in New York City in 1933 and later attended public schools in Cody, Wyoming and the Cate School in Carpenteria, California. Wallop graduated from Yale University in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He served in the United States Army Artillery as a first lieutenant from 1955-1957. His family had substantial historical ties to Wyoming, and Senator Wallop operated a cattle ranch prior to his entry into politics. He was a Republican member of the Wyoming State House of Representatives for two terms (1969-1972) and of the Wyoming State Senate for one term (1973-1976).

During his tenure in the US Senate, Wallop served on the following committees: Judiciary, (a first for a non-lawyer); Finance; Energy and Natural Resources; and Labor and Human Resources. He served as chairmen of two subcommittees; Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation; and Energy and Agricultural Taxation. He was a member of a number of subcommittees including: Energy Research and Development, Natural Resources Development and Production, International Trade, Taxation and Debt Management, Labor, Aging and Education, Arts and Humanities, and the budget subcommittee of the Select Committee on Intelligence.

Wallop helped to establish more state control of natural resources, reduced income taxation, argued for greater 5th Amendment protection for private property owners who were subject to “takings,” and advocated a more aggressive role in U.S. defense policy during the later stages of the Cold War. He was an advocate for the participation of the United States in world trade, was a supporter of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and was a member of the Helsinki Commission.

His most notable legislative achievement was his authorship of the Wallop Amendment to the 1977 Surface Mining Act. This established a compensation plan for miners who were adversely affected by government regulation. He also authored a highly influential bill cutting the tax on inheritance and gifts that was a major component of President Reagan’s 1981 tax reduction plan. He also was one of the first politicians to go on record in favor of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).

After stepping down from the Senate in 1995, Wallop founded the Frontiers of Freedom Institute, a lobbying firm that promotes smaller Federal government. He also was the general chairman of the 1996 presidential campaign of Steve Forbes. Senator Wallop was also sought after as a frequent public speaker.