Otero College Alum Richard Wadhams Credits Otero With Launching Political Career

Description: Richard Wadhams, a 1975 graduate of Otero College, shares memories of his time as a student at Otero and how it shaped his future.

Richard Wadhams Otero College Alum

Time spent at Otero helped to launch his successful political career

LA JUNTA – Richard (Dick) Wadhams, a 1975 graduate of Otero Junior College, launched his distinguished political career after studying at Otero. He is renowned at both the state and national levels as a political consultant and strategist who has successfully managed campaigns for U.S. Senators and a Colorado governor, and who has served as chairman of Colorado’s Republican party.

Wadhams grew up on a family farm near Las Animas, Colo. After graduating from Las Animas High School in 1973, he worked at a local mortuary over the summer. Enjoying the work and earning the owners' respect, he accepted their offer to work part-time at their Lamar funeral home while attending Lamar Community College. He split his time between college and the mortuary.

Before the fall of 1974, he was asked to stay on with the business, only this time, to work at their La Junta mortuary. Wadhams gladly accepted again, moved to La Junta, and enrolled in his second year of college at Otero Junior College (now Otero College).

“As I started my second year of college, I was still very uncertain about what I wanted to do,” said Wadhams. “I was giving some thought about going into the mortuary business but began to realize that while I liked the people I was working with, maybe that line of work might not be for me. I was in an exploration phase of life, looking at a lot of options and trying to figure out where my passion was.”

Just a few weeks into the fall semester, some of those questions began to receive answers. Wadhams met E.J. Conley, a long-time history and political science professor at Otero. “Mr. Conley sparked an interest in me for the political process that continued to grow with every class I took with him. Outside of class, I spent a lot of time with him discussing politics and learning more about how the political process worked,” he explained.

That fall, Wadhams helped with local elections and the Bent County Republican committee. At 19, he became its chairman, likely the youngest in the state. Trips to Denver for meetings deepened his political interest. By the time of his 1975 college graduation, he had found his career path.

The following fall, Wadhams enrolled at the University of Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo) to study political science, but soon focused on politics and campaigns. He paused his studies for several years, returning in 1991 to finish his degree.

Stepping away from college, Wadhams ran for a delegate position to the 1976 Republican National Convention. Though not elected, he stayed active, working full-time on President Gerald Ford’s campaign and gaining experience through various campaigns in the late 1970s.

In 1980, Wadhams went to work for U. S. Senator Bill Armstrong. He spent nine years with Senator Armstrong, managing his Pueblo and Denver offices and serving as the senator’s press secretary. During those years, he also spent two years in the senator’s Washington, D.C. office. Senator Armstrong was elected to two terms and then did not run again for reelection. Congressman Hank Brown ran for Armstrong’s open seat with Wadhams leading Brown’s successful election campaign.

Over the years, Wadhams managed campaigns for Senator Hank Brown, Senator Wayne Allard, former Congressman Bob Schaffer, Senator Conrad Burns of Montana, U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, and Colorado Governor Bill Owens.

After Owens' gubernatorial election, Wadhams became his Press Secretary. Nationally, Wadhams is known for managing John Thune’s 2004 upset victory over U.S. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and working with other notable senators.

Wadhams was elected chair of the Colorado Republican Party in 2007, a position he held until 2011. While serving as party chair, Wadhams also ran U.S. Senate candidate Bob Shaffer’s campaign.

Today, Wadhams still works as a campaign consultant and is a regular columnist for the Denver Gazette.

As Wadhams looks back over his storied career, he credits his experiences at Otero College as pivotal, shaping not only his career choice but also the skills and passion needed for a successful future in politics.

“I don’t believe I would have been as good at my career if it had not been for OJC. The influence E.J. Conley had on me, helping me better understand political science, and the skills I learned in Nola Merchant’s English class have served me extremely well in my career, especially in my current role as a columnist,” said Wadhams.

Wadhams said he was also influenced by the example set for him by Dr. William McDivitt, Otero’s college president for over 40 years. 

“He was a giant of a man. His stature, credibility, and integrity were well respected by the state legislature. He was always honest, and state legislators knew he was being straightforward with them in any conversations they had with him. I’ve always tried to emulate him as a role model.”

When asked for a piece of advice he could offer to a young person who might be struggling with some of the same questions he was facing as a young college student, Wadhams offered these thoughts.

“Students don’t have to have it all figured out right out of high school or even those first two years of college. I didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do right out of high school. It never occurred to me to spend my life in politics. Give yourself time to find out what you love to do, then pursue it. Once I found my passion, I knew what I wanted and what I needed to do to get there. OJC gave me breathing room to find that out. Take the time to find what you love to do, then create opportunities for yourself. In my case, those early years of experience I had with Senator Armstrong gave me the best opportunities that have defined what I’ve done since.”

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