September 21, 2024
Remembering former Washington governor, senator, public servant and UW alumnus, Daniel J. Evans
Daniel Jackson Evans, a man whose impact on the state of Washington and the University of Washington spans decades and is memorialized in his namesake, the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, died Sept. 20, 2024. He was 98.
Daniel J. Evans
Evans, a Republican who was twice considered to run for vice president of the United States, championed progressive policies and inspired numerous people to dedicate their lives to public service.
“Daniel J. Evans, former Washington state governor, legislator, college president, U.S. senator and our school’s namesake, will forever remain one of Washington state’s most distinguished leaders,” said Jodi Sandfort, dean of the Evans School. “He taught us that deep listening and coalition building to balance legitimate, but conflicting, political views was central to the political process.”
Evans’ record includes creating the country’s first state-level Department of Ecology, which President Nixon used as a model for what would become the Environmental Protection Agency. Evans was a big believer in higher education and helped create Washington’s community colleges and in 1967, The Evergreen State College. And, despite his party affiliation, he fought for a state income tax, although that effort failed.
“Governor Evans’ lifetime of public service embodied integrity, bipartisan collaboration and effective, humane policymaking that inspired generations of leaders through the Evans School of Public Policy and beyond. The University of Washington will always be grateful for his outstanding service as a Regent, volunteer, supporter and mentor, and the example he set for principled leadership. We are proud to count him as an alumnus, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.” said UW President Ana Mari Cauce.
Nancy and Dan Evans.
Evans’ first foray into politics came in 1957 when he was elected to the state Legislature representing Seattle, his home turf. He served the state’s 43rd District until being elected Washington governor in 1965. He held that seat for three terms and was named by a 1981 University of Michigan study as one of the top 10 governors of the 20th century.
“His legacy of coming together for the greater good, despite party lines, has inspired and will continue to inspire public servants and the Evans School community — for years to come,” Sandfort added. “To him, ‘accomplishing good things takes bipartisan effort, because often what we’re trying to accomplish isn’t partisan.’”
Evans left politics in 1977 to become the second president of The Evergreen State College, the institution he helped create. Today, the Daniel J. Evans Library is the largest building on the Evergreen campus.
But Evans was called back into the political arena in 1983, filling the U.S. Senate seat vacated following Henry “Scoop” Jackson’s untimely death. Evans won a special election to hold that seat until he eventually retired from politics in 1988.
He returned to focus on higher education in his home state and was appointed to the UW Board of Regents in 1993, where he served a dozen years, including board president from 1996 to 1997. In 1999, the UW officially named the public policy school in honor of Evans’ tremendous contribution to the nation.
In 2007, the UW Alumni Association named Evans, ’48, ’49, the Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus — alumnus of the year, the highest honor the UW confers upon its graduates.
“He just lives integrity,” Sandra Archibald, told the University of Washington Magazine in 2007, when she was dean of the Evans School. “We call him a compass, a moral compass for future leaders. One of the main reasons this school was named after Dan is that he has this blend of lofty ideals and a practical approach. It’s a combination that’s really, really rare in a politician. He has the ideals, but he knows how to get things done.”
Daniel J. Evans, with his wife Nancy, cuts the ribbon at the naming of the Evans School of Public Affairs (now the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance).
Evans grew up in Seattle and attended Roosevelt High School before joining the U.S. Navy, where he was sent to the Pacific following World War II. He came to the UW to study civil engineering, earning his bachelor’s degree, and a year later, a master’s degree.
His early career was spent as an engineer at the City of Seattle, helping to design what would become the Alaskan Way Viaduct. After tackling public speaking by taking a Toastmasters course, he set off to Olympia. His speech at the Republican National Convention in 1968 brought him national attention, including from candidate Richard Nixon, who considered Evans as a running mate in exchange for Evans’ endorsement. Evans instead threw his support behind Nelson Rockefeller.
President Gerald Ford also came close to tapping Evans to become his vice-presidential running mate in 1976, but political calculus sent Ford in another direction.
Evans was actively involved in a number of community and nonprofit organizations. He chaired the National Academy of Science’s Commission on Policy Options for Global Warming and co-chaired a delegation to monitor elections in Nicaragua with former President Jimmy Carter.
From 1989 to 1994, Evans also served as a political analyst for KIRO news, both the radio and TV stations. He taught as a part-time lecturer at the Evans School from March 1989 to 1990, and ran his own consulting firm, Daniel J. Evans Associates. He served on numerous corporate and civic boards, including Costco, Puget Sound Energy and The Nature Conservancy.
Evans was proceeded in death by his wife Nancy. He is survived by sons Dan Jr., Mark and Bruce, and nine grandchildren.
