SEATTLE — Dan Evans, a preferred Republican governor of Washington state who served three terms within the Senate and left in frustration because he found the chamber too acrimonious and boring, has died. He was 98.
Evans died on Friday, said the University of Washington, where he served as regent and where the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance bears his name.
“Dad had an extraordinarily full life,” his sons – Dan Jr., Mark and Bruce Evans – said in a written statement quoted by The Seattle Times. “Whether he was holding public office, working to improve higher education, or mentoring aspiring civil servants … he just kept getting involved in things until the end. He touched many lives. And he did it without sacrificing his family.”
Evans was a dominant force in Washington politics for a long time and, until current Governor Jay Inslee took office, was the one person to be elected governor thrice.
Born in Seattle in 1925, Evans was a civil engineer before entering politics. He was elected to the state legislature in 1956 and won the governorship in 1964, defeating two-term incumbent Democrat Albert D. Rosellini and prevailing in a nasty yr for his Republican party, by which President Lyndon Johnson soundly defeated Republican Barry Goldwater.
Known as a moderate to liberal Republican, the outdoorsman helped create recent recreation and park areas within the state and supported clean air and water laws. He established the primary state Department of Ecology, which President Richard Nixon used as a model for the Environmental Protection Agency.
Evans also unsuccessfully campaigned for the introduction of a state income tax and decided to not run for a fourth term.
After leaving the governor's residence in 1977, Evans remained in Olympia and served as president of the Evergreen State College. Evans had helped found the state school when he signed a bill authorizing the liberal arts college, and as governor he also supported the creation of the state's community college system.
During his time on the state's helm, he rose to national prominence and was the keynote speaker on the 1968 Republican National Convention. In 1976, he was mentioned as a possible running mate for President Gerald Ford. Evans was never a fan of Ronald Reagan, supporting Ford in 1976 and initially supporting George HW Bush in 1980.
Evans was a preferred Republican in a predominantly Democratic state and would have been a secure bet as a candidate for the U.S. Senate. However, he often dismissed such comments, saying in 1972, “I don't particularly like Washington, D.C. … and I couldn't stand being in the Senate.”
In later years, Evans served as a regent on the University of Washington, his alma mater, and served on quite a few nonprofit and company boards.
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