Joel Pritchard | |
|---|---|
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| 14thLieutenant Governor of Washington | |
| In office January 11, 1989 – January 15, 1997 | |
| Governor | Booth Gardner Mike Lowry |
| Preceded by | John Cherberg |
| Succeeded by | Brad Owen |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Pelly |
| Succeeded by | John Miller |
| Member of theWashington Senate from the36th district | |
| In office January 9, 1967 – January 11, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Moriarty |
| Succeeded by | John Murray |
| Member of theWashington House of Representatives from the36th district | |
| In office January 12, 1959 – January 9, 1967 | |
| Preceded by | Gladys Kirk |
| Succeeded by | John Murray |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joel McFee Pritchard (1925-05-05)May 5, 1925 Seattle,Washington, U.S. |
| Died | October 9, 1997(1997-10-09) (aged 72) Olympia, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Joan Sutton |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Marietta College |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1944–1946 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Joel McFee Pritchard (May 5, 1925 – October 9, 1997) was an American businessman and politician who served in theU.S. House of Representatives and as the 14thLieutenant Governor of Washington as a member of theRepublican Party, and is the most recent Republican to have held that office as of 2024.
Pritchard, known as theFather ofPickleball, invented the sport, along with two friends, in 1965. He was inducted into thePickleball Hall of Fame in 2017.[1]
Pritchard was a delegate to theRepublican National Convention in 1956 that renominatedDwight D. Eisenhower for the presidency.[citation needed]
He was elected to theWashington House of Representatives representing Washington's thirty-sixth district in 1958, where he served from 1959 to 1967, being reelected in 1960, 1962 and 1964. In the state house, he worked closely with futureU.S. SenatorsDaniel J. Evans andSlade Gorton.[citation needed]
In 1966, he was elected to theWashington State Senate, where he served a single term from 1967 to 1971. In 1970 Pritchard, a member of Washington Citizens for Abortion Reform (WCAR), introduced a bill allowing abortions in the first four months of pregnancy; it was approved and went to the voters as Referendum 20. The measure was approved statewide by voters in November 1970, making Washington the first state to in which abortion was legalized by a popular vote.[2]
In 1970, Pritchard ran for theU.S. House of Representatives to representWashington's first district, challenging nine-term incumbentThomas Pelly in the Republican primary. Pelly was renominated, but by a smaller margin than anyone expected.[3]
In 1972, Pelly retired and Pritchard ran for theU.S. House of Representatives again, this time successfully, defeating opponents John Hempleman and Craig Honts in a closely contested election. He was easily reelected in 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982, serving from 1973 to 1985. He chose not to run for reelection in 1984.
In 1988, he made a successful run forLieutenant Governor of Washington, becoming president of the Washington Senate. He was reelected in 1992, serving from 1989 to 1997.
Pritchard was the second son of Frank and Jean (McFee) Pritchard. He was born on May 5, 1925, inSeattle, Washington, where he attend public schools, and graduated fromQueen Anne High School in June 1944.[4]
At the rank ofSergeant, he served in theUnited States Army from 1944 to 1946. After leaving the service, he attendedMarietta College in Ohio from 1946 to 1947. He worked for the Griffin Envelope Company in Seattle from 1948 to 1971 where he became president of the company.
In 1965, while serving in the Washington State Senate, Pritchard, along with friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, invented the game ofpickleball at his summer home onBainbridge Island, Washington.[5]
After the end of his second term as Lieutenant Governor, Pritchard went into retirement and became a board member ofTVW, thestate of Washington's public affairs network. He died on October 9, 1997, inOlympia, Washington, oflymphoma.[6]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's 1st congressional district 1973–1985 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Washington 1989–1997 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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