Cecil D. Andrus
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Cecil D. Andrus | |
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In office January 23, 1977 – January 20, 1981 |
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Under President | Jimmy Carter |
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Preceded by | Thomas S. Kleppe |
Succeeded by | James G. Watt |
26th and 28th Governor of Idaho
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In office January 1971 – January 1977 January 1987 – January 1995 |
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Preceded by | Don Samuelson (1971) John V. Evans (1987) |
Succeeded by | John V. Evans (1977) Phil Batt (1995) |
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Born | August 25, 1931 (age 75)![]() |
Political party | Democratic |
Religion | Lutheran |
Cecil Dale Andrus (born August 25, 1931 in Hood River, Oregon) is a former United States Secretary of the Interior and Democratic Governor of Idaho. He served a combined 14 years as governor (1971-1977 and 1987-1995) and as Interior secretary during the Jimmy Carter Administration. Andrus served as governor longer than anyone else in Idaho history. In public life he was noted for his environmentalist views.
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[edit] Early life and career
Andrus attended Oregon State University in 1952[1] and served in the United States Naval Reserves from 1951 to 1955[citation needed]. After being discharged from the Navy Andrus moved to Orofino, Idaho, where he worked in the timber industry.
Upset over the local Republican state senator's stance on education, in 1960 while living in Orofino, Andrus filed as a Democrat to run against him and won. He was reelected in 1962 and 1964.
Andrus ran for Governor of Idaho in 1966 but finished second in the Democratic primary to Charles Herndon. Andrus was appointed the replacement nominee when Herndon died in a plane crash during the campaign. He lost the general election to Republican Don Samuelson, earning him the dubious distinction of losing a gubernatorial primary and general election in the same year. Andrus was reelected to the Idaho State Senate in 1968.
[edit] Governor (1971-1977)
Undaunted by his earlier setbacks, in 1970, Andrus defeated Samuelson in a gubernatorial election rematch, thanks in large part to his opposition to developing molybdenum mining in central Idaho's White Cloud Mountains. Andrus was overwhelmingly reelected in 1974, defeating Republican Lieutenant Governor Jack M. Murphy.
[edit] Interior Secretary
In January 1977 Andrus resigned as governor to serve as Secretary of the Interior for newly-inaugurated President Jimmy Carter, becoming the first Idahoan to serve in a presidential cabinet. He was succeeded as governor by Lieutenant Governor John V. Evans.
As Interior Secretary, Andrus was responsible for creating vast wilderness areas in Alaska. In 1979, Carter demanded the resignations of his entire cabinet; the resignation of Andrus was not accepted. Andrus returned to Idaho when Carter's presidency ended in 1981.
[edit] Governor (1987-1995)
After several years in private life, Andrus surprised many by recapturing the Idaho governorship in the 1986 election, defeating Republican Lieutenant Governor David H. Leroy. During his second stint as governor, Andrus vigorously opposed federal efforts to store nuclear waste in Idaho. He also brokered a path breaking agreement among land-use and conservation interests to control water pollution from nonpoint sources to protect riparian and fish habitat in streams.
In 1990 Andrus gained national notoriety when he vetoed a strict anti-abortion bill passed by the Idaho Legislature. Later that year Andrus decisively defeated conservative Republican state senator Roger Fairchild for reelection to a fourth term as governor, winning in every county except Lemhi. In his final term Governor Andrus was again in the national spotlight due to the Endangered Species Act listing of several Snake River salmon species. These anadromous fish species spawn in their natal streams in Idaho and migrate seaward at a young age. Governor Andrus called attention to the downstream federal dams operated by the Army Corps of Engineers as the major culprit. His successful lawsuit against the Federal government lead to incremental changes in operations of the dams and controversy over major changes to the dams that continue to today.
Despite remaining personally popular, Andrus did not seek reelection to a fifth term in 1994. He was succeeded by Republican Phil Batt.
[edit] Elder statesman
Andrus remains active with the Idaho Democratic Party and continues to campaign on behalf of other Democrats, including Howard Dean during the former Vermont governor's 2004 run for President of the United States. In 2006 Andrus served as campaign treasurer for Idaho Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brady. [1]
In 1995, Andrus founded the Andrus Center for Public Policy at Boise State University. He published his memoir, Politics Western Style, in 1998. Cecil D. Andrus Elementary School in Boise is named after him.
[edit] References
- ^ Edmonston Jr., George. OSU's Famous Alumni (English). Oregon State University Alumni Association. Retrieved on October 21, 2006.
Preceded by Vernon K. Smith |
Democratic Party nominee, Governor of Idaho 1966 (lost), 1970 (won), 1974 (won) |
Succeeded by John V. Evans |
Preceded by Don Samuelson |
Governor of Idaho January 4, 1971–January 24, 1977 |
Succeeded by John V. Evans |
Preceded by Thomas S. Kleppe |
United States Secretary of the Interior January 24, 1977–January 20, 1981 |
Succeeded by James G. Watt |
Preceded by John V. Evans |
Democratic Party nominee, Governor of Idaho 1986 (won), 1990 (won) |
Succeeded by Larry EchoHawk |
Preceded by John V. Evans |
Governor of Idaho January 5, 1987–January 2, 1995 |
Succeeded by Phil Batt |
Governors of Idaho | ![]() |
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Shoup • Willey • McConnell • Steunenberg • Hunt • Morrison • Gooding • Brady • Hawley • Haines • Alexander • Davis • Moore • Baldridge • Ross • B. Clark • Bottolfsen • C. Clark • Bottolfsen • Gossett • Williams • Robins • Jordan • Smylie • Samuelson • Andrus • Evans • Andrus • Batt • Kempthorne • Risch • Otter |
United States Secretaries of the Interior | ![]() |
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Ewing • McKennan • Stuart • McClelland • Thompson • C Smith • Usher • Harlan • Browning • Cox • Delano • Chandler • Schurz • Kirkwood • Teller • Lamar • Vilas • Noble • M Smith • Francis • Bliss • Hitchcock • Garfield • Ballinger • Fisher • Lane • Payne • Fall • Work • West • Wilbur • Ickes • Krug • Chapman • McKay • Seaton • Udall • Hickel • Morton • Hathaway • Kleppe • Andrus • Watt • Clark • Hodel • Lujan • Babbitt • Norton • Kempthorne |
Categories: Articles lacking sources from October 2006 | All articles lacking sources | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1931 births | Governors of Idaho | Idaho State Senators | Living people | Oregon State University alumni | United States Secretaries of the Interior