(Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives.)

Latest in our series of blog posts featuring classic State Archives photos of previous Washington governors signing bills into law. Today we’re focusing on the late Booth Gardner and Mike Lowry. Gardner is shown at top signing a bill in his office. (Note the plate of souvenir pens.) The bottom photo features Lowry putting his John Hancock on a bill in the governor’s conference room as a group of legislators and bill supporters stand near him. Then-Rep. Kathy Lambert, now on the King County Council, is at the governor’s right side.

We think it was Lowry who started the current practice of holding bill-signing ceremonies in the conference room instead of the governor’s office.

Earlier this week, we blogged about photos of Govs. Clarence Martin and Arthur Langlie, Albert Rosellini and Dan Evans, and Dixy Lee Ray and John Spellman. We’ll finish the blog series Friday with Govs. Gary Locke and Chris Gregoire.