Former eastern Washington Congressman George Nethercutt has died. He was 79 years old.
The Spokane attorney made history in 1994 by unseating Speaker of the House Tom Foley. He is the only person to have accomplished that. He was one of more than 50 Republicans who took seats from Democrats in the U.S. House that year, giving the GOP control of the chamber for the first time in more than 40 years.
Nethercutt was a low-key, but popular member. He broke a campaign pledge to serve only three terms, but it didn’t hurt him as he went on to easily win two more elections. He served 10 years and bridged the gap between Foley and the person who succeeded him in the Fifth District, Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers. She is retiring at the end of this year after 10 terms.
In 2004, Nethercutt gave up his seat in the House with an eye on winning another elected office. He told Spokane Public Radio then that Republicans urged him to consider running for either governor or the U.S. Senate.
“I feel more comfortable in a federal arena,” he said. “I’ve spent the last eight years working on federal issues and trying to help our Fifth Congressional District and I felt that I was more attuned to serving in the U.S. Senate and in the Congress of the United States than I was at the gubernatorial level.”
He challenged a two-term incumbent, Democrat Patty Murray, for her U.S. Senate seat. He told SPR that he would run on a traditional Republican platform.
“The job creation portion of our campaign is going to be prominent. I’m going to work hard to make sure that people know that I want to solve problems, that I have a common sense, balanced approach to issues of the day. I’m not an ideologue. I’m not on the extremes of the political spectrum,” he said.
Though he polled well in eastern Washington, Nethercutt struggled to gain support west of the Cascades and lost the election by 12 points. He moved on to a life of political lobbying and advising. He joined two Republicans in creating a consulting firm and later created a foundation to promote civic engagement. He also worked to raise money for research into juvenile diabetes, a condition with which his daughter lived.
McMorris Rodgers issued a statement Friday, praising the man she replaced in the House.
“My heart is sad. George Nethercutt was a giant amongst men who served the people of Eastern Washington with honor and patriotism for a decade. George was a man of character who led with kindness and conviction, and he was a person I proudly looked up to long before the day I was sworn in to represent the Fifth District we shared such a love for. He was one-of-a-kind, and I will miss his friendship dearly."
Nethercutt is survived by his wife Mary Beth, daughter Meredith and son Elliott.
