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Stuart Elway at his Seattle office in 1996 Kathy Quigg photo[/caption]
A profile of H. Stuart Elway, one of America’s most respected public-opinion pollsters, is the latest chapter of Legacy Washington’s new project, “1968: The Year that Rocked Washington.”
The chapter is now online at the project homepage. Elway is also one of 18 notable Washingtonians featured in a 1968 exhibit in the office of the Secretary of State at the Capitol in Olympia.
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Elway and his dad, state Senator Harry S. Elway Jr. (R- Hoquiam) on the campaign trail, around 1958 Polson Museum Collection[/caption]
Elway grew up steeped in Washington state politics. His dad, Harry S. Elway Jr., was an influential state senator from Hoquiam.
Stuart turned 20 in the turbulent summer of ’68. That year, he enrolled at the University of Washington and enlisted in a group called Action for Washington. The goal was to energize young voters, regardless of party. The movement coalesced around Gov. Dan Evans, Secretary of State Lud Kramer and Slade Gorton, the GOP candidate for attorney general. When Arthur Fletcher, a charismatic civil rights leader, joined the ticket as a candidate for lieutenant governor, it galvanized the movement. Soon, 2,500 young people were staging doorbell blitzes.
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Elway with Gov. Evans in 1971 Elway Collection[/caption]
Elway went on to become a special assistant to Gov. Evans before earning a doctorate in communications. He emerged in the 1990s as the go-to expert on Northwest political trends.
In 2009, he was named to the Communications Department Alumni Hall of Fame at the University of Washington.
Thank you to the sponsors of Legacy Washington’s 1968 Exhibit: Capitol City Press, The McGregor Company, University of Washington and Association of Washington Businesses.
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