Dan Evans, the popular Republican governor of Washington state, has died. He served three terms in the US Senate but left in frustration because he thought the House was too vicious and boring. He was 98.
Evans died Friday, according to the University of Washington, where he had served as a regent and where the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance is named for him.
“Dan Evans was an honorable, independent-minded public servant who put Washington state first and dedicated his life to protecting and investing in our state’s places and people,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said in a statement Saturday.
“We were lucky to have him – and I have no doubt his legacy will live on for generations to come.”
Evans was a dominant force in Washington politics for decades and was the only person to be elected governor three times until the arrival of current Gov. Jay Inslee.
In a statement posted on the social platform X, the Democrat said it was hard to think of another resident who had such a positive impact on so many aspects of the state.
“All of us, regardless of our party, can count ourselves fortunate for the progress we made during his three terms as governor,” Inslee said.
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 Democrat Albert D. Rosellini and winning in a bad year for his fellow Republicans, in which President Lyndon Johnson soundly defeated the GOP’s Barry Goldwater.
Known as a moderate Republican, this avid outdoorsman helped add new recreation and park areas in the state and supported clean air and water legislation.
He created the nation's first state department of ecology, which President Richard Nixon used as a model for the Environmental Protection Agency.
Evans also unsuccessfully attempted to create a state income tax. He chose not to run for election to a fourth term.
“Her legacy of rising above party lines and uniting for the greater good has inspired and continues to inspire public servants and the Evans School community,” Jody Sandfort, the school’s dean, said in a statement.
Sandfort recalled a quote from Evans: “It takes a bipartisan effort to get good things done, because often what we're trying to accomplish is not partisan.”
After leaving the governor's office in 1977, Evans remained in Olympia and served as president of The Evergreen State College.
Evans had helped create the state school when he signed the act authorizing the liberal arts college, and as governor he also supported the establishment of the state's community college system.
While leading the state, he gained national recognition and was the keynote speaker at the 1968 National Republican Convention.
In 1976 he was mentioned as a possible candidate for President Gerald Ford.
Never a fan of Ronald Reagan, Evans supported Ford in 1976 and initially backed George H. W. Bush in the 1980s.
As a popular Republican in a predominantly Democratic state, it seemed likely that Evans would have won the election easily had he decided to run for the U.S. Senate.
He often dismissed such talk, saying in 1972 that “I don't like Washington, D.C. very much … and I don't want to be in the Senate.”
However, in 1983, Democratic Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson died while in office, and Evans accepted the appointment to complete his term.
Evans decided not to run for election in 1988 because he “felt too tired to make decisions.”
At the time, he said he was looking forward to returning home and enjoying the outdoors.
In later years, Evans served as a regent at his alma mater, Washington University.
He also served on several non-profit and corporate boards.
“Dad lived an extraordinarily full life,” his sons — Dan Jr., Mark and Bruce Evans — said in a statement by The Seattle Times,
“Whether it was serving in public office, working to improve higher education, mentoring aspiring public servants … he signed up for everything until the very end. He touched so many people's lives. And he did all of this without sacrificing his family.”
Evans' wife, Nancy Bell Evans, died in January at age 90.
