Joel M.Pritchard Joel M. Pritchard An OralHistory WSOHP During his twelve years in Congress, Joel was always in the minority party, but was so well liked and trusted by members of both parties that he could play an effective role. He organized social events for House members and games like softball and Pickle-Ball. People got used to each other and the Washington delegation began to work on common interests. Joel was the glue that held the delegation together. When he retired after fi ve re-elections, as he had promised before his fi rst election, he came up to talk with me about possible new avenues. He really did not have much support in his family for running for lieutenant governor and we had a long talk over lunch. I told him he would be a natural in that role and could turn the job into a very useful public service. He did run, was elected, and became a very popular lieutenant governor by using his unique talent for bringing An Oral History people together. — From the foreword by Jim Ellis Washington State Oral History Program Offi ce of the Secretary of State Joel M Pritchard An Oral History Interviewed by Anne Kilgannon Washington State Oral History Program Office of the Secretary of State Ralph Munro, Secretary of State Copyright 2000 Washington State Oral History Program All rights reserved ISBN 1-889320-14-5 Library of Congress Subject Headings 1+ Pritchard, Joel M+, 1925-1997 2+ LegislatorsWashingtonbiography 3+ Washingtonpolitics and government Washington State Oral History Program Office of Secretary of State Legislative Building PO Box 40243 Olympia, WA 98504-0243 Telephone: (360) 902-4157 CONTENTS Foreword by Daniel J Evans Foreword by Slade Gorton Foreword by Jim Ellis Preface Acknowledgements Introduction by Anne Kilgannon Biographical Highlights 1 Family Background 1 2 War Service and Return to Seattle 14 3 Getting Involved: Civic Groups and Early Campaigns 31 4 Representative for the Thirty-sixth District 55 5 Civil Rights Issues in the Legislature 73 6 Building the New Team 81 7 Dan Evans and the Coalition Session 97 8 Campaign for Governor: Full Tilt 112 9 In the Senate 155 10 Entering Congress 184 11 In the Shadow of Vietnam and Watergate 215 12 Serving Under President Ford 259 13 Issues: Saving Wilderness to Foreign Affairs 290 14 Transition from Congress 319 15 Lieutenant Governor of Washington State 324 16 Champion for Education 349 17 Other Commitments 367 Appendices A Tributes B Joel Pritchard Building Dedications C Pickle-Ball D Photographs and Clippings Index FOREWORD ABOUT JOEL PRITCHARD I first met Joel Pritchard shortly after returning from naval service in the Korean War+ He and his brother Frank were already known as political campaign wizards+ They helped elect a little-known Gordon Clinton as mayor of Seattle and were looking for new political challenges+ We all joyously plunged into campaigns, both for candidates and on important issues such as Metro+ It was a time when volunteers meant more than money and Joel knew precisely how to engage and enthuse volunteers+ He preferred to stay in the background, but finally in 1958 we prevailed upon him to run for office for himself+ He was elected as a state legislator and began a long and illustrious career in public service+ He also quickly became not only a trusted friend, but a wise political mentor who gave extraordinarily good counsel during all of my political career+ Joel Pritchard represented all that is good about public service+ This remarkable man lived by his often repeated credo, Its remarkable what you can accomplish if you dont care who gets the credit+ His name may not appear as prime sponsor on many bills, but he built coalitions and tore down partisan barriers to achieve some landmark legislation during his terms in Congress+ Joel was a lifelong Republican, but recognized and respected the good ideas of others+ He chuckled at the pompous, made allies of rivals, and gained universal respect on both sides of the aisle+ The name Joel Pritchard is synonymous with political integrity, intelligence, and courage+ His legacy is a better state and a new generation of political activists charged with his spirit and love of public service+ DANIEL J EVANS Former Governor and U S Senator FOREWORD ABOUT JOEL PRITCHARD Joel Pritchards two most remarkable attributes were his unerring good humor and his unerring good judgment+ In every legislative body in which he served, Joel was, or was extremely close to being, the best-liked member by other members, both Democrats and Republicans+ His colleagues sought him out for trips to distant places, or in the case of particularly fortunate friends like me, as companions in shared living quarters in Olympia during legislative sessions, when we were unaccompanied by our families+ Perhaps even more significant was Joels judgment+ Ive always liked to think of myself as being able to think a problem or a challenge through logically, step by step, to a valid conclusion+ Invariably, however, when we served in the Legislature together I found that Joel had already arrived at just such a conclusion intuitively+ It was of his very nature to be thoughtful, considerate, and right+ Washington State has rarely had a public servant to match him; I have never had a friend I treasured more+ SLADE GORTON U S Senator FOREWORD ABOUT JOEL PRITCHARD I have known Joel Pritchard since 1947 and found him to be one of the most able and effective public officials and one of the finest human beings I have known+ We got acquainted as young men in the early 1950s, representing the Republican Party in political debates+ I remember these debates not only because we thought we won, but because we had so much fun doing them+ Joel participated actively in the civic improvement efforts of organizations like the Municipal League, including local Charter reform, and efforts to solve regional problems+ I remember Joel debating one of the principal opponents of the Metro ballot measure to clean up Lake Washington+ His opponent opened a jar of slimy green algae and proceeded to eat it on television in an effort to prove the algae that was fouling up Lake Washington was really good for us+ Joels response on television was to hold his nose and lift his eyes+ That was all it took to convince the audience that his opponent was out of his mind+ Joel was a pragmatic idealist as a legislator and responded to good ideas from every quarter+ He quickly became one of the best liked people in each legislative body in which he served, including the state Legislature, official commissions, committees on government reform or the U+S+ House of Representatives+ He was willing to undertake tough tasks and to devote long hours to listening+ He would go way beyond the call of duty if he thought his effort would be publicly valuable+ He was very helpful in the design of the original Metro Water Pollution Abatement Program+ He was very active in preparing the Forward Thrust rapid transit plan and the major transit programs that followed+ We lost several elections, but in 1972, after most people were discouraged, we came back for a third try+ Joel was no longer in the Legislature, but he co-chaired a citizens committee with Dave Sprague, a Democrat+ The plan was for Dave to first pass the package in the Democrat- controlled Senate, but this took until the next to last day of the session+ The bill seemed certain to die in the House when Joel called late at night to say, You know, wed better get down there or this thing will be dead+ We met at an early breakfast in Olympia with key House leaders+ By the end of the day, Joel succeeded in getting the bill through the committee, through Rules, and finally passed by the full House and sent to the governor for signature+ This was a remarkable achievement+ As I followed him around the chambers, I could see that everyone Joel talked to not only remembered him from his legislative days, but trusted him completely+ In the election that followed, the voters approved what is today the Metro Transit System in King County+ This enormously successful public service exists because Joel Pritchard would not let it die+ FOREWORD During his twelve years in Congress, Joel was always in the minority party, but was so well liked and trusted by members of both parties that he could play an effective role+ He organized social events for House members and games like softball and Pickle-Ball+ People got used to each other and the Washington delegation began to work on common interests+ Joel was the glue that held the delegation together+ When he retired after five re-elections, as he had promised before his first election, he came up to talk with me about possible new avenues+ He really did not have much support in his family for running for lieutenant governor, and we had a long talk over lunch+ I told him he would be a natural in that role and could turn the job into a very useful public service+ He did run, was elected, and became a very popular lieutenant governor by using his unique talent for bringing people together+ Before he left the Legislature, when he was significantly affected by cancer, he nevertheless did things whenever he was asked+ Shortly before he died, the Mountains to Sound Greenway wanted him to be master of ceremonies for their annual Christmas celebration, but I didnt feel comfortable asking+ He volunteered to do it, performed beautifully, and created an atmosphere that was inspirational for everyone present+ Throughout his life, Joel Pritchard carried his high personal ideals and standards into his public service+