Daniel J. Evans was an old-fashioned Republican, who personified the ideal of what a politician should be.
Born in 1925, he had a glowing resume. Descended from a politically prominent family that migrated to the Washington Territory before the Civil War, he grew up in Seattle, was an Eagle Scout, a World War 2 Navy veteran (but did not see combat), then earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Washington.
Evans spent 8 years in the legislature, then in 1964 was elected Washington governor at age 39, and served 3 consecutive terms from 1965-1977. He was the keynote speaker at the 1968 Republican National Convention, but refused to endorse the party’s nominee, Richard Nixon.
When Sen. Henry Jackson died in 1983, Gov. John Spellman appointed the popular Evans to fill the vacancy, and after being elected in the special election, he served until 1989. Then 64 years old, he declined to run again and retired from politics, but remained in the spotlight, serving as president of Evergreen State College and president of the U.W. Board of Regents in the 1990s.
Throughout his life, Evans enjoyed the image of a squeaky-clean family man and honest politician. He was never caught up in any scandals and was widely admired on both sides of the aisle for his many good works, which included environmental advocacy.
Possibly Washington’s most respected citizen of modern times, Evans died on September 20, 2024, twenty-six days before what would have been his 99th birthday.