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Category: Legacy Project

From the Archives: Classic photos of govs signing bills

From the Archives: Classic photos of govs signing bills

(Photos courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives.) Since it’s Gov. Jay Inslee’s first “bill-signing season,” we’re getting in the spirit of things by digging deep into the State Archives for photos of previous Washington governors putting pen to paper and turning bills into law. Earlier, we blogged about photos of bill-signing souvenir pens used by earlier guvs. Here are photos of two governors who occupied the northeast corner of the second floor of the Capitol back when radio and newspapers…

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New Archives feature helps teachers & students

New Archives feature helps teachers & students

(Map courtesy of Washington State Library) Several of our divisions and programs have much to offer teachers and students. A recent addition to the State Archives webpage features items from throughout the OSOS website that focus on history so they can be used in classrooms. Included are links to online exhibits, Legacy Project oral histories, classic Washington history books and historic newspapers from the State Library, and photos, maps and other documents from the State Archives. The Teachers and Students…

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Remembering Booth Gardner: ‘Civility & public service’

Remembering Booth Gardner: ‘Civility & public service’

(Left to right: former Gov. John Spellman, former Gov. Booth Gardner,  former Lt. Gov. John Cherberg, former Gov. Al Rosellini. Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives.) Booth Gardner, Washington’s 19th governor who later led a successful statewide initiative to legalize assisted suicide for the terminally ill, died at his Tacoma home Friday night at age 76 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Gardner became one of Washington’s more popular and charismatic governors. Gardner, a Democrat, was elected as the state’s top…

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Hot off the press: New book on Governor John Spellman

Hot off the press: New book on Governor John Spellman

A new book about former Washington’s last Republican governor,  “John Spellman: Politics Never Broke His Heart,” is being launched by The Legacy Project  in the  Office of the Secretary of State. The author is Legacy Project’s chief historian, John C. Hughes, a former editor and publisher for the Aberdeen Daily World. He’s no stranger to storytelling; this is Hughes’ seventh book he has penned since accepting his position in 2008.  Among his other projects were biographies of U.S. Senator Slade…

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Sid Snyder book launch draws Olympia movers & shakers

Sid Snyder book launch draws Olympia movers & shakers

Bette Snyder receives a standing ovation during book launch event honoring her husband, Sid. As a state senator, he was known for bringing together people from both parties and earning their respect and admiration. A launch event for a new book about Sid Snyder showed that the Senate legend can still attract people from both sides of the aisle. Nearly 100 people, including former Governor Dan Evans, the late Snyder’s former Senate colleagues, former and current legislative staffers, lobbyists and…

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Capitol event accentuates the positive

Capitol event accentuates the positive

The past several months have seen a deluge of negative campaigns as the 2012 General Election reaches its end next week. Secretary of State Reed is moderating a panel discussion this Thursday that focuses on positive politics and how it could influence leaders in local, state and national government. The panel will explore how positive politics can change and lead to better decision-making at all levels of government. The free event, which is the latest in the series of Brown…

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Nisqually Tribe hosts Billy Frank event Tuesday

Nisqually Tribe hosts Billy Frank event Tuesday

The Nisqually tribe is hosting a speaking event and book signing on Oct. 30 featuring Billy Frank Jr. and Trova Heffernan, author of the new book about the iconic tribal leader. The event runs from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Nisqually Tribe Library at 4820 She-Nah-Num Dr. SE on the Nisqually Reservation, located between Lacey and Yelm. Heffernan, a writer with the Secretary of State’s Legacy Project, will speak at a second event at the tribal center, which begins…

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“Library Jewel” # 3: Political business cards

“Library Jewel” # 3: Political business cards

Washington State’s Primary Election is nearly upon us, occuring next Tuesday, August 7.  In honor of the upcoming Primary, we are featuring two rare political business cards as our third “Library Jewel” for July, located within the Rare Publicans section of the Washington State Library. These political business cards, featured below in the picture, belonged to candidates who were running for separate elections in 1908.  The card on the left belonged to Republican Party candidate Theodore Mentzer, a lumberjack from Tenino,…

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“Library Jewel” #2: Slide presentation of the 1914 Sedro-Woolley bank robbery

“Library Jewel” #2: Slide presentation of the 1914 Sedro-Woolley bank robbery

Compiled by a Washingtonian with a flair for the dramatic, this collection of glass lantern slides, along with a typewritten narrative script, tells the story of the infamous Sedro-Woolley bank robbery of 1914. Traveling to theaters throughout Western Washington, this spirited presentation was staged with a performer reading the narrative script while the slides were shown on screen. Last year the Sedro-Woolley Museum and Sedro-Woolley Public Library partnered to digitize these slides along with over 300 additional resources through the…

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Launching Saturday: new book about tribal icon Billy Frank Jr.

Launching Saturday: new book about tribal icon Billy Frank Jr.

He’s one of the most famous Native Americans in Washington history, and an instrumental figure in the long and sometimes bitter battle over Indian fishing rights. A new and privately funded book about the life of Nisqually tribal leader Billy Frank Jr. is officially being launched Saturday afternoon in Olympia. The book is entitled “Where the Salmon Runs: The Life and Legacy of Billy Frank Jr.” The book launch is from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at The Evergreen State College…

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