Mark Ricks

Mark George Ricks (July 4, 1924 – September 29, 2016) was a Republican politician from Idaho. He served as the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Idaho from June 2006 to January 2007.

Ricks was appointed lieutenant governor by Governor Jim Risch to fill a vacancy caused by Risch's succession to the governorship in May 2006. He was succeeded by Risch, who was reelected lieutenant governor in November 2006. Ricks was not a candidate for public office that year. Ricks' appointment was seen by some as an effort by Risch to reach out to voters in the Eastern Idaho region should Risch decide to run for governor at some point in the future. However Risch dismissed this as "pure speculation."

Ricks was a member of the Idaho Legislature, serving in the Idaho Senate from 1979 to 1994. While in the Senate, he served as Senate Majority Leader, chairman of the State Affairs Committee, as a member of the Joint Finance Committee, and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He was chairman of the Council of State Governments - West and the chairman of the Special Task Force on Reapportionment for the National Council of State Legislatures. He was appointed by Governor Dirk Kempthorne to the Idaho 2020 Blue Ribbon Task Force in 2002.^[1]

Ricks was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in several church leadership positions. He was a stake president in Rexburg during the 1976 Teton Dam failure and played a key role in local disaster relief efforts.^[2] He died on September 29, 2016 in Rexburg at the age of 92.^[3]

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