Tom Copeland »
Dan Evans »
Governor Dan Evans Scrutinizes a Redistricting Map »
The Higher Mathematics of Redistricting »
Gary Grant »
A. L. "Slim" Rasmussen »
Signing the Redistricting Bill of 1965 »



Tom Copeland

Tom Copeland, an Eastern Washington Republican, was minority leader in 1965. He briefly tried to secure a solution to the redistricting problem by entering into negotiations with Senator Bob Greive. However, according to Howard McCurdy's account, members of Copeland's party were unsupportive of his efforts, and with a lack of party backing, Copeland largely bowed out of the process.





Dan Evans

Dan Evans became governor in 1965. This event further complicated redistricting by pairing a Republican governor with a legislature controlled by Democrats. Evans was no stranger to redistricting; as the leader of the "new breed" Republicans in the House, he helped shape the redistricting battles of the previous sessions.





Governor Dan Evans Scrutinizes a Redistricting Map

Governor Dan Evans joins other Republican legislators and staff members as they work on a redistricting map and discuss ways to redraw the boundaries of a contested district. From left to right: Joel Pritchard, Damon Canfield, Mary Ellen McCaffree, Dan Evans, Tom Copeland, Howard McCurdy (drawing the lines), Slade Gorton.





The Higher Mathematics of Redistricting

Before the advent of computers, the complicated statistical calculations for reapportionment required the use of adding machines and voluminous rolls of paper. Republican legislators and staff pose here as they contemplate the higher mathematics of the 1965 redistricting effort.





Gary Grant

Gary Grant, a King County Democrat, began his career in the House in 1963. During the 1965 session he became actively involved in the redistricting struggles and sponsored a bill that eventually became the basis for the compromise legislation passed by the Legislature. Grant later served in the Senate but then resigned to run for the King County Council.





A. L. "Slim" Rasmussen

A. L. "Slim" Rasmussen, a Tacoma Democrat, served eight terms in the House before his election to the Senate in 1960. Rasmussen was a strong opponent of Senate Majority leader Bob Greive and clashed with him over many issues. During the 1965 negotiations with the Republican redistricting leadership, Greive proposed a very strangely shaped district for Rasmussen that would essentially redistrict him out of office. The gerrymander became known as the Rasmussen "stovepipe." Rasmussen left the Senate to become mayor of Tacoma, but later returned and served twenty more years in the new district.





Signing the Redistricting Bill of 1965

Many of the legislators involved in the bitter wrangling over court-ordered redistricting come together to watch as Governor Dan Evans puts his signature on the compromise bill of 1965.