Olympia has lost another icon — longtime Rep. Bill Grant of Walla Walla (16th District) died Sunday after being hospitalized earlier in the week for pneumonia. He had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.
Rep. Grant served as the Majority Caucus Chair, and it was his distinctive voice TVW viewers frequently heard announcing a “Democratic Caucus immediately.” Rep. Grant had served in the House for 22 years; outside of Olympia he was a fourth-generation wheat farmer.
One of a handful of Democrats to represent Eastern Washington in the legislature, Rep. Grant had many friends on both sides of the aisle who valued his plain-spoken approach and his sense of humor.
You can find the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin’s story here. Our condolences to Rep. Grant’s family and friends.