Daniel J. Evans

Last updated

Nancy Bell
​
​
(m. 1959;died 2024)​
Daniel J. Evans
Governor Daniel J. Evans.jpg
Official portrait c. 1965–1968
United States Senator
from Washington
In office
September 8, 1983 –January 3, 1989
Children3
Education University of Washington (BS, MS)
Military service
AllegianceFlag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  United States
Branch/serviceFlag of the United States Navy (official).svg  United States Navy
Years of service1943–1946
1951–1953
Battles/wars World War II
Korean War

Daniel Jackson Evans (born October 16, 1925) is an American politician from Washington. A member of the Republican Party, he served as governor of Washington from 1965 to 1977 and a member of the United States Senate from 1983 to 1989.

Contents

Following his service in the United States Navy, Evans was elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 1956. He then served as Republican leader of the House before being elected governor in 1964. He was reelected twice more in 1968 and in 1972. Described as a moderate Republican, particularly on social and environmental issues, [1] Evans supported Nelson Rockefeller for the Republican nomination for president in 1968 and refused to endorse Richard Nixon, despite giving the keynote address at that year's Republican National Convention. [2]

Evans was considered for the Republican vice-presidential nomination in 1968 and in 1976, although he was passed over both times. In 1983, he was appointed to the United States Senate following the death of Henry M. Jackson, and was elected in a special election in November and served until 1989, declining to run again. Since the death of James L. Buckley in August 2023, he is the oldest living former senator and, as of 2024, he is the only living former Republican governor or senator from Washington.

Early life and education

Evans was born in Seattle, Washington (where he has lived as of 2007), [3] descended from a family that had first arrived in the Washington Territory in 1859; his grandfather had served in one of Washington's first state senates. He grew up in the Laurelhurst neighborhood, and attended Roosevelt High School. [4]

As a young man, Evans was an Eagle Scout, [5] and served as a staff member and Hike Master at Camp Parsons, a well known Boy Scout camp in Washington State. As an adult, he was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America in 1973. [6]

After high school, Evans served in the United States Navy 1943–1946. [3] He first entered the V-12 Navy College Training Program, and was stationed at the University of Washington (UW), but was transferred eight months later to an Reserve Officers' Training Corps program at University of California, Berkeley. He did not see combat; he was deployed to the Pacific Ocean shortly after the end of World War II, as a commissioned ensign on a succession of aircraft carriers, before returning to UW in 1946. [4]

Evans graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in civil engineering (BS, 1948; MS, 1949). [3] [4] The UW later (in 2007) gave him the distinction of Alumnus Summa Laude Dignitatus, the highest distinction the university confers on its graduates. [4] He returned to the United States Navy (1951–1953) [3] before working as a structural engineer [3] [4] (1953–1956); in the latter capacity, he helped draw up the plans for the Alaskan Way Viaduct. [4]

Political career

Having attended Toastmasters to improve his initially abysmal public speaking style, [2] Evans served in the Washington State House of Representatives from 1957 to 1965 before being elected governor. [3]

Evans during his tenure as governor Daniel J. Evans.jpg
Evans during his tenure as governor

Despite being a Republican and a self-styled conservative, [3] Evans became known for his administration's liberal policies on environmentalism (he founded the country's first state-level Department of Ecology, which became Nixon's blueprint for the federal Environmental Protection Agency) and strong support of the state's higher education system, including founding Washington's system of community colleges. In addition, he signed a bill to legalize abortion in the first four months of a pregnancy and fought unsuccessfully for a state income tax, two additional liberal positions. [7] [5]

Evans as a United States Senator, 1985 DanielJEvans.jpg
Evans as a United States Senator, 1985

Evans announced his campaign for governor in December 1963. He was elected in 1964 and served until 1977, [3] one of three to be elected to three terms, after Arthur B. Langlie and later current governor Jay Inslee, in Washington state history. A 1981 University of Michigan study named him one of the ten outstanding American governors of the 20th century. [5] He declined to run for a fourth term in 1976. Current governor Jay Inslee joined both Langlie and Evans, becoming the third Washington governor to serve three terms with his re-election victory in 2020. [8] Serial killer Ted Bundy served as a campaign aide for Evans, and maintained a close relationship with the governor. During the 1972 campaign, Bundy followed Evans's Democratic opponent around the state, tape recording his speeches, and reporting back to Evans personally. A minor scandal later followed when the Democrats found out about Bundy, who had been posing as a college student. [9]

From 1977 to 1983, Evans served as the second president of Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, [3] which Evans had created in 1967 by signing a legislative act authorizing the formation of the college. The largest building on the Evergreen campus is named the Daniel J. Evans Library, in his honor. [10] In 1983, Governor John Spellman appointed Evans to the United States Senate, to fill a seat left vacant by the death of long-time senator Henry M. Jackson. Evans won a special election later that year against Mike Lowry, and filled the remainder of Jackson's unexpired term, retiring from politics after the 1988 elections. [3] [11] He was unhappy during his term in the Senate, writing in a 1988 column in The New York Times Magazine that "debate has come to consist of set speeches read before a largely empty chamber" and adding that he felt demoralized by "bickering and protracted paralysis". [5] [12]

Evans voted in favor of the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday, and the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (as well as to override U.S. President Ronald Reagan's veto). [13] [14] [15] Evans voted in favor of Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States. [16]

Later life

After leaving the Senate in 1989, Evans founded his own consulting firm, Daniel J. Evans Associates. [3] Governor Mike Lowry appointed him to the Board of Regents of the University of Washington in 1993; Evans served as the board's president from 1996 to 1997, [3] and in 1999, the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington was named for him. Evans also went on to work in media, doing an editorial weekly on the KIRO-TV newscasts from the early- to mid-1990s. In 2012, Evans was listed as a director of the Initiative for Global Development. [17] His autobiography was published in 2022. [1] After the death of James L. Buckley in August 2023, he became the oldest living former U.S. senator. [18] On January 26, 2024, his wife of 64 years, the former Nancy Bell, who he married in 1959, died at age 90. [19]

Wilderness preservation efforts

Evans was a Boy Scout whose early experiences hiking in the Olympic Mountains nurtured a life-long love of wilderness. [20] Throughout his career, Evans has proven his dedication to the great outdoors in Washington State through his action. [21]

Evans was a crucial supporter, in 1968, when Congress created the North Cascades National Park. The then-governor persuaded President Gerald Ford to sign 1976 legislation creating the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, when the U.S. Forest Service was urging a veto. [20]

As a U.S. senator, Evans sponsored the million-acre Washington Park Wilderness Act, and legislation creating the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. [22] [23]

In 1989, Evans co-founded the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, with Mike Lowry. [21]

In 2017, Olympic Wilderness was renamed to Daniel J. Evans Wilderness, in honor of Evans. [20]

Statewide races in Washington

1983 U.S. Senate special election in Washington [24]

1972 Washington gubernatorial election [25]

1968 Washington gubernatorial election [26]

1964 Washington gubernatorial election [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Hatfield</span> Governor of Oregon and US senator (1922–2011)

Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served eight years as Governor of Oregon, followed by 30 years as one of its United States senators, including time as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. A native Oregonian, he served in the United States Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II after graduating from Willamette University. After the war he earned a graduate degree from Stanford University before returning to Oregon and Willamette as a professor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Roth</span> American politician (1921–2003)

William Victor Roth Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of the Republican Party. He served from 1967 to 1970 as the lone U.S. Representative from Delaware and from 1971 to 2001 as a U.S. Senator from Delaware. He is the last Republican to serve as and/or be elected a U.S. Senator from Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Heinz</span> American businessman and politician (1938–1991)

Henry John Heinz III was an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from Pennsylvania from 1977 until his death in 1991. An heir to the Heinz family fortune, Heinz entered politics in 1971 when he won a special election to replace Robert Corbett to represent Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district. In 1976, Heinz ran to replace retiring Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott. Heinz narrowly won in the primary over future Senator Arlen Specter, and defeated William Green III. Heinz won re-election in 1982 and 1988 by large margins. On April 4, 1991, Heinz was killed when his plane, facing mechanical problems, collided with a helicopter inspecting the plane, killing all involved in the crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell Weicker</span> American politician (1931–2023)

Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the 85th Governor of Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Lowry</span> 20th governor of Washington

Michael Edward Lowry was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 20th governor of Washington from 1993 to 1997. His political career ended abruptly following a sexual misconduct allegation made against him by his deputy press secretary, Susanne Albright. Lowry served as a United States Representative from Washington's 7th congressional district from 1979 to 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Spellman</span> 18th governor of Washington

John Dennis Spellman was an American politician who served as the 18th governor of Washington from 1981 to 1985 and as the first King County Executive from 1969 to 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Scott</span> American politician (1900–1994)

Hugh Doggett Scott Jr. was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1941 to 1945 and from 1947 to 1959 and in the U.S. Senate, from 1959 to 1977. He served as Senate Minority Leader from 1969 to 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Javits</span> American lawyer and politician (1904–1986)

Jacob Koppel Javits was an American lawyer and politician. During his time in politics, he represented the state of New York in both houses of the United States Congress. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the state's Attorney General. Generally considered a liberal Republican, he was often at odds with his own party. A supporter of labor unions, the Great Society, and the civil rights movement, he played a key role in the passing of civil rights legislation. An opponent of the Vietnam War, he drafted the War Powers Resolution in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Aiken</span> American politician

George David Aiken was an American politician and horticulturist. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 64th governor of Vermont (1937–1941) before serving in the United States Senate for 34 years, from 1941 to 1975. At the time of his retirement, he was the most senior member of the Senate, a feat which would be repeated by his immediate successor Patrick Leahy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Kuchel</span> Former United States senator from California

Thomas Henry Kuchel was an American politician. A moderate Republican, he served as a US Senator from California from 1953 to 1969 and was the minority whip in the Senate, where he was the co-manager on the floor for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Kuchel voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court, while Kuchel did not vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James L. Buckley</span> American judge and politician (1923–2023)

James Lane Buckley was an American politician and judge who served in the United States Senate as a member of the Conservative Party of New York State in the Republican caucus from 1971 to 1977 and additionally held multiple positions within the Reagan administration. He was also the Republican nominee in the 1980 Connecticut Senate race, but he was defeated by Democrat Chris Dodd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Kasten</span> American politician (born 1942)

Robert Walter "Bob" Kasten Jr. is an American Republican politician from the state of Wisconsin who served as a U.S. Representative from 1975 to 1979 and as a United States Senator from 1981 to 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Chafee</span> American politician (1922–1999)

John Lester Hubbard Chafee was an American politician and officer in the United States Marine Corps. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 66th Governor of Rhode Island, as the Secretary of the Navy, and as a United States Senator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States Senate elections</span>

The 1968 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate. Held on November 5, the 34 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections. They coincided with the presidential election of the same year. The Republicans picked up five net seats in the Senate. This saw Republicans win a Senate seat in Florida for the first time since Reconstruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norris Cotton</span> American politician (1900–1989)

Norris Henry Cotton was an American politician from the state of New Hampshire. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Representative and subsequently as a U.S. Senator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyman Trumbull</span> American politician (1813–1896)

Lyman Trumbull was an American lawyer, judge, and politician who represented the state of Illinois in the United States Senate from 1855 to 1873. Trumbull was a leading abolitionist attorney and key political ally to Abraham Lincoln and authored several landmark pieces of reform as chair of the Judiciary Committee during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era, including the Confiscation Acts, which created the legal basis for the Emancipation Proclamation; the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished chattel slavery; and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which led to the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton Young</span> American politician (1897–1983)

Milton Ruben Young was an American politician, most notable for representing North Dakota in the United States Senate from 1945 until 1981. At the time of his retirement, he was the most senior Republican in the Senate, and the last member of the Lost Generation to serve in the Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1983 United States Senate special election in Washington</span> US election for the replacement of deceased Senator

The 1983 United States Senate special election in Washington was a special election to fill the seat which had been held by longtime Senator Henry Jackson, who unexpectedly died on September 1. Three-term former governor Dan Evans was appointed by Governor John Spellman on September 8, and he won the special election over congressman Mike Lowry on November 8. Jackson had won a sixth term the previous year, so more than five years remained in the term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 United States Senate election in Washington</span>

The 1956 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 6, 1956. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Warren Magnuson won a third term in office, defeating Republican nominee Arthur B. Langlie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 Washington gubernatorial election</span>

The 1952 Washington gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1952, between incumbent governor Arthur B. Langlie of the Republican Party and U.S. Representative Hugh Mitchell of the Democratic Party. Langlie won the general election, becoming the first Washington state governor to be elected to a third term.

References

  1. 1 2 Banel, Feliks (February 9, 2022). "Former Washington Gov. Dan Evans reflects on storied career, state of modern GOP, and more". KIRO-FM . Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  2. 1 2 McHenry 2007, p. 24–25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Congressional Biography, accessed online August 13, 2007. As of 2024, Evans is only living former Republican governor of Washington.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McHenry 2007, p. 24.
  5. 1 2 3 4 McHenry 2007, p.25.
  6. ↑ "P: Distinguished Eagle Scout Recipients". NESA.org. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Washington's 1970 Abortion Reform Victory: The Referendum 20 Campaign - Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project". University of Washington. Archived from the original on September 2, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Evans' man followed Rosy". Ellensburg Daily Record . UPI. August 30, 1973. Retrieved April 24, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Aide to Washington's Governor Posed as Student in Foe's Camp". The New York Times . UPI. August 30, 1973. p. 23. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  10. ↑ "The Evergreen State College Library". November 14, 2011. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Sen. Evans won't seek re-election". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, CA. AP. October 21, 1987. Retrieved November 3, 2016– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  12. ↑ Evans, Daniel J. (April 17, 1988). "Why I'm Quitting the U.S. Senate" . The New York Times Magazine . p. 48. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ "TO PASS H.R. 3706. (MOTION PASSED) SEE NOTE(S) 19".
  14. ↑ "TO PASS S. 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL TO RESTORE THE BROAD COVERAGE AND CLARIFY FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY PROVIDING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION IS FEDERALLY FUNDED, THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE".
  15. ↑ "TO ADOPT, OVER THE PRESIDENT'S VETO OF S. 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL TO RESTORE BROAD COVERAGE OF FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY DECLARING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION RECEIVES FEDERAL FUNDS, THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE. TWO-THIRDS OF THE SENATE, HAVING VOTED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, OVERRODE THE PRESIDENTIAL VETO".
  16. ↑ Turner, Wallace (October 21, 1987). "Senator Evans Won't Run in '88" . The New York Times . p. A21. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Leadership Council | Initiative for Global Development". Igdleaders.org. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  18. ↑ "James Buckley, conservative senator and brother of late writer William F. Buckley, dies at 100". POLITICO. Associated Press. August 18, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Nancy Evans, Washington's former first lady, dies at 90". The Seattle Times. January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  20. 1 2 3 "'A fitting tribute': Olympic Wilderness renamed for longtime outdoors advocate, former Gov. Dan Evans". Seattle Times. August 21, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  21. 1 2 "Board and Committees". Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  22. ↑ "S.2165 - Washington Park Wilderness Act of 1988". U.S. Congress. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  23. ↑ "S.2055 - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act". U.S. Congress. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Election Search Results - Elections & Voting - WA Secretary of State".
  25. ↑ "Election Search Results - Elections & Voting - WA Secretary of State". Sos.wa.gov. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Elections Search Results: November 1968 General". Secretary of State of Washington . Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Elections Search Results: November 1964 General". Secretary of State of Washington . Retrieved October 3, 2016.
Other sources
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Washington
1964, 1968, 1972 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Keynote speaker of the Republican National Convention
1968 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Washington
(Class 1)
1983 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Washington
1965–1977		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the National Governors Association
1973–1974		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Washington
1983–1989
Served alongside: Slade Gorton, Brock Adams 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Senator Order of precedence of the United States Succeeded byas Former US Senator
Honorary titles
Preceded by Oldest living United States senator
(Sitting or former)
August 18, 2023 – present		Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.