OLYMPIA — Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs issued the following statement on the passing of Dan Evans, former Governor and U.S. Senator from Washington State.
Governor Dan Evans was a man of principle. Throughout his career in Washington state and Washington D.C., he served his constituents driven by a dedication to public service. Gov. Evans’ legacy engenders respect across generations and party affiliations. Gov. Evans’ service represents a place and era when values were more important than partisanship, and a leader’s scruples came before ambition.
A strong believer in civics and his role as a member of this community, he remained active in sharing his experiences in government with Americans and the world. In his recent autobiography published by Legacy Washington, Gov. Evans described the nastiness of the 1994 mid-term election and how that reached into 2020. He wrote: “The divisiveness I observed applied all the more to 2020, which spawned a shocking insurrection predicated on big lies, followed by wholesale efforts to suppress voter turnout.”
I have a great respect for the work and legacy of Governor Evans. When he left the U.S. Senate in 1988, he wrote that he was doing so because he didn’t want to participate in endless ‘bickering and protracted paralysis.’ I believe these things were simply not in his nature and we can all learn from his example today.
Gov. Evans and his wife Nancy Evans will be dearly missed.