Slade Gorton
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- This article is about the senator; Slade Gorton (born 1832), who co-founded Gorton's of Gloucester was an ancestor of the senator.
Thomas Slade Gorton III (born January 8, 1928) is an American politician. A Republican, he was a U.S. Senator from Washington state from 1981 until 1987, and then from 1989 until 2001. He held both of the state's Senate seats in his career and was defeated for reelection twice as an incumbent; in 1986 by Brock Adams, and in 2000 by Maria Cantwell.
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[edit] Background
Gorton was born in Chicago, Illinois and served in the United States Army from 1945 until 1946. He then attended and graduated from Dartmouth College. He served in the United States Air Force from 1953 until 1956, continuing to serve in the Air Force reserves until 1980. Meanwhile, he practiced law, and entered politics in 1958, being elected to the state legislature of Washington, in which he served from 1959 until 1969, becoming one of the highest-ranking members. He was then Attorney General of Washington from 1969 until he entered the United States Senate in 1981, defeating longtime incumbent and state legend Warren Magnuson on Ronald Reagan's coattails and an "it's time for a change" ad campaign.
[edit] 1988 Election
After his 1986 defeat, he ran for the state's other Senate seat (open at the time) in 1988 and won. In the Senate, Gorton was notable for his conservative views, and derided for what some perceived as strong hostility towards Indian tribes. His reelection strategy centered on running up high vote totals in areas outside of the left-leaning King County (includes Seattle). In 1994 he repeated the process.
[edit] 2000 Election
In 2000, Democrat Maria Cantwell turned his "it's time for a change" strategy against him and due to the strength of her huge vote margins in the King County area, won an upset victory with around 2,000 votes. His advocacy for a silver mine in the Cascades earned him the nickname "Cyanide Slade" (since silver is mined using the cyanide process). "Uff da: Cyanide Slade's Last Stand", Seattle Weekly, September 27, 2000.
[edit] Post-Senate Years
In 2002, Gorton became a member of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (popularly known as the "9/11 Commission") and the commission issued its final report in 2004.[1]
In 2005, Gorton became the Chairman of the center-right Constitutional Law PAC, a political action committee formed to help elect candidates to the Washington State Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by John J. O'Connell |
Attorney General of Washington 1969 – 1981 |
Succeeded by Ken Eikenberry (R) |
| Preceded by Warren Magnuson (D) |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Washington 1981 – 1987 Served alongside: Henry M. Jackson (D) , Daniel J. Evans (R) |
Succeeded by Brock Adams (D) |
| Preceded by Dan Evans (R) |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Washington 1989 – 2001 Served alongside: Brock Adams (D) , Patty Murray (D) |
Succeeded by Maria Cantwell (D) |
| Members of the 9/11 Commission |  |
|---|---|
| Kean (Chair) • Hamilton (Vice chair) Ben-Veniste • Fielding • Gorelick • Gorton • Kerrey • Lehman • Roemer • Thompson |
