Washington (State). Governor (1965-1977 : Evans)

Daniel Jackson Evans (born October 16, 1925) served three terms as governor of the state of Washington from 1965 to 1977, and represented the state in the United States Senate from 1983 to 1989. He was born and raised in Seattle, WA. He graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's and master's degree in civil engineering. Evans served in the Washington State House of Representatives from 1956 to 1965 before being elected governor. Evans served as governor from 1965 through 1977, still the only governor to serve three consecutive terms in Washington state history. From 1977 to 1983 Evans served as the second president of The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, which Evans had created in 1967 by signing a legislative act authorizing the formation of the college. Evans was appointed to the United States Senate to fill a seat left vacant by the death of longtime senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson. Evans won a special election later that year and filled the remainder of Jackson's unexpired term, retiring from politics after the 1988 elections.

Daniel Jackson Evans was born in Seattle on 16 Oct. 1925, the son of Irma A. and Daniel L. (Les) Evans. He grew up during the Depression in Seattle and attended Roosevelt High School, graduating in 1943. After serving in the Navy, Evans attended the University of Washington. He earned a master's degree in civil engineering in 1949. After graduating from college, Evans went to work as a member of the structural design team for the City of Seattle. His engineering career was interrupted in 1951 when the Navy recalled him to active service during the Korean War. When Evans returned home in 1953, he went back into the engineering field as the assistant manager of the Mountain-Pacific Chapter of the Associated General Contractors, a position he held until 1959. Evans married Nancy Ann Bell in 1959 and they had three sons. Evans took an active interest in politics, serving as a delegate to the King County Republican convention from 1948. In 1956 he was persuaded by a group of Republican leaders in King County to run for the state House of Representatives, representing the 43rd District. He won by a large majority and was reelected three times by large pluralities.

As Republican floor leader in the House of Representatives, Evans was instrumental in forming a coalition between the Republicans and the more conservative Democrats in the House in 1963. The Republicans chose Evans to run against incumbent Governor Rosellini in 1964 and won. He took office in Jan. 1965, the youngest man ever to be elected governor of the state of Washington, at the age of thirty-nine. The first Republican to hold the governor's office in eight years, Evans was faced with a legislature controlled nearly two to one by the Democrats. Nevertheless he was confident of his plans for the state. In the first session of the legislature under his administration, Evans presented his "Blueprint for Progress," a program designed to start Washington on the path to prosperity. It called for economic growth, educational opportunity, equitable taxation, efficiency in government, and energetic leadership. In the 1965 and 1967 legislative sessions, despite a legislature controlled by the opposition party, Evans succeeded in getting the better part of two-thirds of his "Blueprint for Progress" passed. Governor Evans served three terms as governor from 1965 to 1977. Trained as an engineer, he outlined his programs in engineering terms such as his "Blueprint for Progress" and "Forward Thrust," initiatives designed to enhance the economy of Washington and protect the environment.