Cherberg, John A. (John Andrew), 1910-1992

John Andrew Cherberg was born on 17 Oct. 1910, in Pensacola, Fla. He moved to Seattle in 1919 with his family. His father was a butcher and a grocer. Cherberg graduated from Seattle's Queen Anne High School and entered the University of Washington in 1929. He graduated with a B.A. in Economics in 1933, and received his Life Teaching Diploma from the U.W. in 1934. After graduating from university, he taught American government and served as football coach at both Cleveland High School and Queen Anne High School. In 1950 he became coach of the freshman football team at the U.W., winning twenty-two of twenty-three games before succeeding Howie Odell as head football coach in 1953. He was only head coach for two years before several of his players complained about his coaching and disciplinary methods. Despite the unanimous support of the Board of Regents and a great deal of public sympathy, he was relieved of his duties at the U.W. in 1956. Six months later, Cherberg announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket. That fall he won handily, beginning the first of eight four-year terms. The main duties of the lieutenant governor are to preside over the Washington State Senate, cast the deciding vote in the Senate in the event of a tie, and to take over the duties of the governor when the governor is out of state. During his years in office Cherberg served under five governors, and in effect he completed more than a full four-year term serving as governor. As President of the Senate, Cherberg earned a reputation for parliamentary ability, fairness and impartiality. He never had a parliamentary decision or committee appointment overturned. Cherberg also served as Ex-officio Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, as Chairman of the Joint Committee on International Trade and Tourism, and as a member of the State Finance Committee, the State Patrol Retirement Board, the State Capitol Committee, the Health Care Facilities Committee, the Higher Education Facilities Board, the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and on several other governmental bodies. Cherberg finally retired from state government in 1989, after fifty-five years of public service, including thirty-two years as lieutenant governor of Washington. He died in 1992.