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Tag: Dan Evans

Lois and John Spellman
The remarkable, formidable Lois Spellman

The remarkable, formidable Lois Spellman

Former Washington State First Lady Lois Spellman died Thursday, January 25th, just days after the passing of her husband, former Washington State Governor John D. Spellman. Lois Elizabeth Murphy was born in 1927 in Havre, Montana. She and her husband prayed the Rosary together every night before bed for all 63 years of their marriage. They have six children and six grandchildren. Legacy Washington Chief Historian and Spellman biographer John Hughes remembers Lois in his book about the former governor: In…

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WA Archives: First Dan Evans scrapbook has been digitized!

WA Archives: First Dan Evans scrapbook has been digitized!

As we shared in March, the Washington State Archives received a historical bonanza in the form of 40 scrapbooks covering the long career of iconic Washington statesman Dan Evans. The scrapbooks cover a political career starting when Evans was a state representative from Seattle in the 1950s and early ‘60s, followed by his 12 years as governor from 1965 to 1977, and capped by his five-plus years as a U.S. senator in the 1980s. A crew at the Archives’ Olympia…

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State Archives receives political icon Dan Evans’ scrapbooks

State Archives receives political icon Dan Evans’ scrapbooks

One of Dan Evans’ scrapbooks includes this 1972 photo of Evans, then Washington’s governor, meeting with President Nixon (middle) and California Gov. Ronald Reagan (left) prior to a news conference at the White House.   As the official repository for state government records, the Washington State Archives is quite accustomed to receiving valuable documents. But once in awhile, the State Archives acquires something so rare, so remarkable that even the most grizzled, seen-it-all archivist can’t help but be wowed by…

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From the Archives: 1964 Republican Convention photos

From the Archives: 1964 Republican Convention photos

(Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives) With the 2016 National Republican Convention happening next week in Cleveland, our State Archives got into the mood by sending us a few photos from the 1964 GOP Convention in San Francisco. The top photo shows Washington delegates holding up Dan Evans signs inside the Cow Palace, which housed the convention. (Evans successfully ran for governor that year, serving three consecutive terms.) The middle shot features Dan and Nancy Evans with an elephant, the…

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50 years after his first inaugural, Oly honors Dan Evans

50 years after his first inaugural, Oly honors Dan Evans

Dan Evans receives an ovation in the House chamber when he is sworn in as governor in January 1965. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives)   Fifty years after his first inaugural, Dan Evans received a warm welcome Wednesday at the Capitol where he once wielded power as a House leader and the state’s only governor elected to three consecutive terms.  Leaders from both parties honored Republican Evans for his work as state legislator, governor, Evergreen State College president, U.S….

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From Archives: Our governors `do solemnly swear’

From Archives: Our governors `do solemnly swear’

If you’ve watched a governor or other statewide elected official being sworn in during the first week of a legislative session, you’ve noticed that the Supreme Court justice reads the oath as he or she swears in that official, and then both of them sign that document.  Then it’s on to the next official and justice, and so on. But what happens to the oath of office documents afterward? They eventually wind up with the State Archives for safekeeping. In…

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October Archives treasure #1: Gov. Evans’ Rainier climb

October Archives treasure #1: Gov. Evans’ Rainier climb

(Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives) Dan Evans is a double-rarity in Evergreen State politics. He’s one of only two Washington governors to serve three terms (the other, Seattle Republican Arthur Langlie, occupied the Governor’s Office in 1941-45 and 1949-57). Evans also is one of only two people who was both Washington Governor and a U.S. Senator from our state (Mon Wallgren, an Everett Democrat, was the other, having served in the U.S. Senate from 1940 until 1945, when he…

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3, 2, 1…we have a book launch!

3, 2, 1…we have a book launch!

Our Legacy Project has produced some outstanding biographies and oral histories since it began in 2008, and Thursday night in Seattle saw the official launch of its latest offering. John C. Hughes, chief historian for The Legacy Project, has penned a new book about the long, influential political career of Slade Gorton. Entitled “Slade Gorton: A Half Century In Politics,” Hughes’ book goes back to the start of Gorton’s political career in Washington as a Republican state representative from Seattle…

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