Cubin, Barbara, 1946-

Barbara Lynn Cubin (born November 30, 1946) is a retired American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming between 1995 and 2009. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Wyoming.

Born Barbara Lynn Sage in Salinas, California, she grew up in Casper, Wyoming, and graduated from high school there. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She later took graduate courses in business administration at Casper College. She worked as a chemist, a substitute math and science teacher, and a social worker for the elderly and people with disabilities. She married Frederick W. Cubin, a physician, in 1975. From 1975 to 1994, while Barbara Cubin managed her husband’s medical practice, she also was active in the local parent teacher association and as a shelter volunteer.

In 1986 Cubin won election to the Wyoming house of representatives, where she chaired the joint interim economic development subcommittee. Cubin also served as the Natrona County chair for Craig Lyle Thomas during his successful bid for Wyoming’s At-Large seat in the U.S. House. In 1992 Cubin won a Wyoming state senate seat, where she served on the revenue committee. In 1994, when Thomas decided to leave the House to campaign for the U.S. Senate, Cubin won the Republican primary and general election, serving eight terms in total.

In the House, Cubin focused on policies dealing with land and mineral use, and infrastructure and transportation issues. During her 14 years in Congress, she earned a reputation as a tenacious fighter for western interests. On major social and cultural issues, Cubin was an outspoken conservative. She voted against a measure which allowed federal funds to pay for contraception. She also supported a measure that increased fines for instances of “indecency” on television broadcasts. Cubin rose through the GOP leadership quickly. In her early terms, she served as a Deputy Majority Whip, and in the 107th Congress, she was elected Secretary of the Republican Conference, the sixth-ranking GOP leadership position in the House.

In November 2007, Representative Cubin announced her decision not to run for re-election to the House in 2008. Her term expired at the conclusion of the 110th Congress on January 3, 2009.