Phil Batt, 29th Governor of Idaho

Philip E. Batt was born in Wilder, Idaho. He graduated from Wilder High School and went on to study chemical engineering at the University of Idaho from 1944 to 1948, when he volunteered for service in the Army Air Force. His public service career includes terms in the Idaho House of Representatives from 1965 to 1967, in the Idaho State Senate from 1967 to 1978, and as lieutenant governor from 1978 to 1982. He also was state chairman of the Idaho Republican Party in 1992.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Batt

• Updated from 1940 United States Federal Census by SmartCopy: May 13 2015, 22:28:31 UTC

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Philip Eugene Batt (born March 4, 1927 in Wilder, Idaho) was the Governor of Idaho from 1995-99.
Batt was an onion and hops farmer from Wilder. Before becoming governor, he had been a Republican politician in Idaho for 30 years, serving in the state legislature (house 1965-97, senate 1967-79) and as the lieutenant Governor from 1979-83. He ran for governor in 1982 and was defeated in a close race by the Democratic incumbent, John V. Evans. Future U.S. Senator and Governor Dirk Kempthorne served as his campaign manager.

After rebuilding the Idaho Republican Party into near-total dominance as party chairman in the early 1990s, Batt reentered electoral politics. In 1994, Batt won the Republican gubernatorial primary with 48% of the vote, and defeated the Democratic candidate, attorney general Larry EchoHawk in the general election 52% to 44%. Despite polls putting his popularity at around 80%, he chose to serve only one term.

Among Batt’s more notable accomplishments as governor were pushing through worker’s compensation for agricultural Workers and negotiating a pact limiting nuclear waste storage in Idaho. During his term, Idaho’s cabinet had a higher percentage of women than any other state.
He has self-published two books since leaving office, a memoir titled The Compleat Phil Batt: A Kaleidoscope, in 1999, and a compilation of humorous stories, Life as a Geezer, 2002.