Cliff Hansen, the former Republican Wyoming governor and two-term U.S. senator who died Tuesday at age 97, has a long list of accomplishments that benefited Wyoming.

Fiscally, none is bigger than his work with Democratic Sen. Gale McGee and Rep. Teno Roncalio in the 1970s, when the delegation succeeded in its hard-fought effort to increase the state's share of federal mineral royalties from 37 percent to 50 percent. The change has meant untold millions of dollars for state government.

But Hansen, who had been the oldest living U.S. senator, will be remembered fondly in his home state for many things during his long career. He was well known as a champion of government restraint and fiscal responsibility, both of which are needed today in Washington, D.C.

Without a great amount of self-determination as a youth, however, Hansen may not have had the distinguished public service career he carved out for himself.

As a child, Hansen suffered from a speech impediment he later said made him feel isolated and embarrassed. He attended the Indiana Bogue Institute for Stammerers, where he learned techniques to overcome his handicap and become a very good public speaker.

In a 2006 interview, Hansen credited the adversity he felt as a child with shaping him as an adult. "Since then, I've met many people who stutter," he said. "It was an important part of my life and development, and it was one of my motivations for getting into politics."

He was a remarkably personable politician. His grandson, Brad Mead, recalled how Hansen, while working in the Senate, knew the first name of everyone, including janitorial and security personnel.

"You know, I tried to work at that when I was (in Washington, D.C.)," Hansen said. "All my life, in fact, I tried to keep in mind that everyone was important."

Mead said his grandfather taught him that you can never go wrong by treating people well. "Granddad's philosophy was, 'Everybody deserves a smile, a handshake and respect.'"

That attitude, of course, helped him win a lot of votes in Wyoming.

In several ways, Hansen was politically ahead of his time.

T.A. Larson, in "History of Wyoming," wrote that Hansen's January 1965 speech to the 38th Wyoming Legislature was "the most progressive gubernatorial message in the state's history since Joseph M. Carey emptied his cornucopia of reform proposals in 1911."

Hansen's list for the GOP-controlled Senate and the Democratic-controlled House showed a great amount of foresight about the state's needs. It included a fair employment practices act, repeal of laws prohibiting interracial marriages, higher retirement pay for state employees, an increase in the minimum wage from 75 cents to $1, higher workers' compensation payments, and more financial assistance for the University of Wyoming and the public schools.

Unlike many politicians, Hansen had no trouble admitting when he was wrong. A great example was demonstrated in an interview with Hansen in Ken Burns' recent PBS documentary, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

In the 1940s, as a Jackson rancher, Hansen vigorously protested the proposed expansion of Grand Teton National Park that was led by John D. Rockefeller Jr.

"I did everything I was able to do to thwart Rockefeller's plan," Hansen said. "I'm glad I lost that fight. I have to appreciate, as everyone else does, the beauty and uniqueness of this area.

"Thank God for the Rockefellers," he said, adding, "I told them that more than once."