Longtime legislator Dicks profiled in new 1968 exhibit

Longtime legislator Dicks profiled in new 1968 exhibit

Norm Dicks in his favorite UW Huskies windbreaker
Norman DeValois “Norm” Dicks in his favorite UW windbreaker, 2015. Rick Dahms photo

A profile of former congressman Norm Dicks is the latest chapter in Legacy Washington’s new project, “1968: The Year that Rocked Washington.” The profile — part of an exhibit that will open Sept. 13 at the State Capitol — is now online at the project homepage.

Dicks came of age at the University of Washington. And when he departed with a law degree in 1968, he landed a job as an aide to Warren G. Magnuson, the powerful U.S. Senator. “Maggie,” a UW alum, tended to surround himself with young Huskies.

Dicks was always a fast learner. He was a standout on the UW football team and an all-conference scholar. Football taught him teamwork; campaigning taught him that all politics is local. Elected to the ASUW Board of Control, he witnessed a sea change in student expectations and rights.

UW linebacker Norm Dicks in the 1960s
Norm Dicks as a standout linebacker for UW in the early ’60s. From UW Archives

“The UW in 1968 was a microcosm of everything that was happening around the world in a year almost without parallel in modern history,” he remembers.

Dicks went on to serve 36 years in Congress, only once winning re-election with less than 58 percent of the vote. Pundits called him “Washington’s third senator.”

Thank you to the sponsors of Legacy Washington’s 1968 Exhibit: Capitol City PressThe McGregor Company, the University of Washington, and the Association of Washington Businesses.

  

 

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