Monday, October 17, 2011

Who's Your Senator? Idaho Edition

The Honorable Gentleman B
The Honorable Gentleman A














The Honorable Gentleman C
The Honorable Gentleman D














Well, I'll give you an answer key for this one. It might be very important if you happen to run into one of these guys in a restroom or something. 


B is former Senator Larry Craig. (Yeah. That's the guy.)

C is former Idaho Governor (two, separate 8-year terms!) and Secretary of the Interior Cecil Andrus.

And D is Senator Mike Crapo (pronounced "CRAY-poh," people) and a Mormon (for those of you "googling for Mormons" out there).

I have a soft spot in my heart for Cecil Andrus. He is an indirect cause of me living in the West. Once in the mid-80's, my dad sat by the Governor at a Boise State football game. My dad said hello and proudly told him about his son who was a young attorney at the Department of the Interior in Washington, DC (that would be me). Cecil's response was that it was such a shame that we lose our bright, young people to the East Coast and he hoped to be able to encourage them to stay in Idaho. When my dad told me that story, it started me thinking. Having lived briefly in Pocatello, I had sort of ruled out a future in Idaho, but I was thinking about moving back west and eventually was able to transfer to Utah and then to New Mexico for a few years. I never met Secretary/Governor Andrus myself, but I am grateful for that little prodding to get me back home to the West. Idaho is just next door.

I did meet Senator Frank Church once at a Democratic Party picnic in Pocatello. They were handing out hot dogs (I think at Republican gatherings you have to pay for the food). This was 1980 and as a smart-aleck college student, I asked Senator Church a question, "Who are you supporting at the Convention? President Carter or Senator Kennedy?" He deftly answered that he was more concerned about his own race. Prophetic words indeed as he lost to the Reagan tails of Senator Steve Symms. I would have put a picture of Senator Church up but they apparently didn't have color shots of him in the pre-internet days.

If this series proves popular, we may continue (or we'll do it anyway because I'm having fun). Next up, New Mexico!

1 comment:

  1. (Anon/M) This blog is SO useful...Now I know how to pronounce Senator Crapo's name. I always had a soft spot for Cecil Andrus and even more so for Frank Church (loved Echohawk, too, because I knew him and Euro types are always crazy about American Indians).

    ReplyDelete

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