Dan Evans, former Republican Washington state governor, US senator, dies at 98

Dan Evans, a fashionable three-term Republican politician of Washington state who went connected to service successful the U.S. Senate earlier leaving successful vexation due to the fact that helium felt the enclosure was excessively rancorous and tedious, has died. He was 98.

Evans died Friday, according to the University of Washington, wherever helium had served arsenic a regent and wherever the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance bears his name.

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"Dan Evans was an honorable, independent-minded nationalist servant who enactment Washington authorities archetypal and dedicated his beingness to protecting and investing successful the places and radical successful our state," Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said Saturday successful a statement. "We were fortunate to person him — and I person nary uncertainty his bequest volition unrecorded connected for generations to come."

Evans was a ascendant unit successful Washington authorities for decades and, until existent Gov. Jay Inslee, helium was the lone idiosyncratic to beryllium elected politician 3 times. In a connection posted to the societal level X, the Democrat said it was hard to deliberation of different nonmigratory who had specified a affirmative interaction connected truthful galore aspects of the state.

Sen. Dan Evans stands with his 3 sons, from left, Mark, Bruce and Dan Jr., aft helium won the predetermination for Washington state's U.S. Senate spot successful Seattle, Nov. 8, 1983.  (AP Photo/Barry Sweet)

"We all, nary substance our party, tin consciousness fortunate for the advancement helium led during each of his 3 presumption arsenic governor," Inslee said.

Born successful 1925 in Seattle, Evans was a civilian technologist earlier entering politics. He was elected to the authorities Legislature successful 1956 and won the governorship successful 1964, beating incumbent two-term Democrat Albert D. Rosellini and prevailing successful a atrocious twelvemonth for his chap Republicans, 1 which saw President Lyndon Johnson soundly decision the GOP’s Barry Goldwater.

Known arsenic a mean to wide Republican, the avid outdoorsman helped adhd caller recreation and parkland areas successful the authorities and supported cleanable aerial and h2o legislation. He created the nation's archetypal authorities Department of Ecology, which President Richard Nixon utilized arsenic a exemplary for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Evans besides unsuccessfully pushed to make a authorities income tax. He opted not to tally for a 4th term.

"His bequest of coming unneurotic for the greater good, contempt enactment lines, has inspired and volition proceed to animate nationalist servants and the Evans School community," Jodi Sandfort, the school's dean, said successful a statement.

Sandfort recalled a punctuation from Evans: "Accomplishing bully things takes bipartisan effort, due to the fact that often what we’re trying to execute isn’t partisan."

After leaving the governor’s mansion successful 1977, Evans stayed successful Olympia, serving arsenic president of The Evergreen State College. Evans had helped make the authorities schoolhouse erstwhile helium signed an enactment authorizing the wide arts college, and arsenic politician helium besides backed founding the state’s assemblage assemblage system.

He built a nationalist illustration during his clip starring the authorities and was the keynote talker astatine the 1968 National Republican Convention. He was mentioned arsenic a imaginable moving mate for President Gerald Ford successful 1976. Never a instrumentality of Ronald Reagan, Evans supported Ford successful 1976 and initially backed George H.W. Bush successful 1980.

As a fashionable Republican successful a predominantly Democratic state, it seemed that Evans would beryllium a shoe-in had helium decided to tally for the U.S. Senate. He often spurned specified talk, saying successful 1972 that "I don’t similar Washington, D.C., precise good ... and I could not basal to beryllium successful the Senate."

However, successful 1983 Democratic Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson died successful office, and Evans accepted an assignment to service retired his term. Evans opted not to basal for predetermination successful 1988, citing the "tediousness of getting decisions made." At the clip helium said helium was looking guardant to returning location to bask the outdoors.

In aboriginal years Evans served arsenic a regent astatine the University of Washington, his alma mater. He besides served connected galore nonprofit and firm boards.

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"Dad lived an exceptionally afloat life," his sons — Dan Jr., Mark and Bruce Evans — said successful a connection quoted by The Seattle Times. "Whether serving successful nationalist office, moving to amended higher education, mentoring aspiring nationalist servants … helium conscionable kept signing up for worldly close until the end. He touched a batch of lives. And helium did this without sacrificing family."

Evans' wife, Nancy Bell Evans, died successful January astatine property 90.