| Phil Batt | |
|---|---|
| |
| Batt in 2010 | |
| 29th Governor of Idaho | |
In office January 2, 1995 – January 8, 1999 | |
| Lieutenant | Butch Otter |
| Preceded by | Cecil Andrus |
| Succeeded by | Dirk Kempthorne |
| Chair of the Idaho Republican Party | |
In office 1991–1993 | |
| Preceded by | Randy Ayre |
| Succeeded by | N. Randy Smith |
| 35th Lieutenant Governor of Idaho | |
In office January 1, 1979 – January 3, 1983 | |
| Governor | John Evans |
| Preceded by | William Murphy |
| Succeeded by | David Leroy |
| 34th President pro tempore of the Idaho Senate | |
In office December 1, 1976 – December 1, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | James Ellsworth |
| Succeeded by | Reed Budge |
| Member of the Idaho Senate | |
In office 1967–1979 | |
| Member of the Idaho House of Representatives | |
In office 1965–1967 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Philip Eugene Batt March 4, 1927 Wilder, Idaho |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Jacque Elaine Fallis Batt (m.1948) |
| Children | 1 son, 2 daughters[1] |
| Residence | Wilder |
| Alma mater | University of Idaho (2 years) |
| Profession | Farmer, politician, musician |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1945–46 |
| Unit | Army Air Forces |
Philip Eugene "Phil" Batt (born March 4, 1927) is an American author and former politician who served as the 29th Governor of Idaho, from 1995 to 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Early years[]
Born in Wilder, Idaho, Batt was the fifth and youngest child of John and Elizabeth Karn Batt.[1]
Career[]
Batt served sixteen months in Colorado at Lowry Field near Denver as a clerk, discharging veterans before being discharged himself. He then returned to the University of Idaho[2][3] and studied chemical engineering, lived in the dorms, and led a dance band, playing clarinet and tenor saxophone.[4] (Half a century later as governor, Batt played with Lionel Hampton in Moscow at the jazz legend's UI festival.)[5]
A year later in January 1948, he eloped with Jacque Fallis of Spokane,[6] a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority.[7] The newlyweds had to leave school a month later when Batt's 66-year-old father was involved in a serious automobile accident which left him with limited strength and speech. Though the young Batts initially hoped to return to college, economic circumstances changed their plans and they reluctantly did not.[8]
State Offices[]
Before becoming governor, Batt had been a Republican politician in Idaho for thirty years, serving in the state legislature (house 1965–67, state senate 1967–79) and as the 35th lieutenant governor from 1979 to 1983.[9] He ran for governor in 1982 and was defeated in a close race by the Democratic incumbent, John Evans. The election was so close that at least one television network declared Batt the winner on Election Night.[10][11]
Batt returned to the state senate with victories in 1984[12] and 1986, then resigned in the spring of 1988 to sit on the three-member state transportation board, appointed by Governor Andrus.[13]
Idaho Republican Party Chair[]
Batt was elected chairman of the Idaho Republican Party in January 1991,[14] and after a successful two years, he stepped aside in April 1993 to re-enter electoral politics in 1994.[15]
Governor[]
Batt won the Republican gubernatorial primary in 1994 with 48% of the vote, and defeated state attorney general Larry EchoHawk in the general election 52% to 44%,[16] for the first GOP victory for governor in 28 years.[17] Despite high popularity, he chose to serve only one term, citing his age, and left office at age 71.[18] Succeeding Batt, Kempthorne won two terms and Butch Otter three terms, giving the Republicans six consecutive wins through 2014. Among Batt's more notable accomplishments as governor was pushing through worker's compensation for agricultural workers and negotiating a pact limiting nuclear waste storage in Idaho.[18]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | John Evans (inc.) | 165,365 | 50.6% | Phil Batt | 161,157 | 49.4% | ||||||||
| 1994 | Larry Echo Hawk | 191,362 | 45.2% | Phil Batt | 216,123 | 51.1% | Ronald Rankin | Independent | 15,793 | 3.7% |
Batt was a Presidential Elector for United States presidential election, 2000 for George W. Bush in Idaho.[19]
Legacy[]
Batt 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, in 2003. Batt, who has a gay grandson who lives out of state, supports Add The Words.[20]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kuykendall, Martha. "Philip E. Batt". Martha's Extended Family. http://www.martisgenes.info/g0/p62.htm#i717. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
- ↑ "Freshmen". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1947. p. 111. http://issuu.com/uidahodigital/docs/gem1947/113.
- ↑ "Sophomores". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1948. p. 135. http://issuu.com/uidahodigital/docs/gem1948/138.
- ↑ Miller, Dean (June 13, 1994). "Batt jazzes up his campaign". p. A6. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4W1XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bfEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6383,3269603.
- ↑ White, Vera (March 2, 1998). "He's no Benny Goodman, but Benny wasn't governor". p. 1A. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U80qAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h9AFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3847%2C9825.
- ↑ "Juniors". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1947. p. 96. http://issuu.com/uidahodigital/docs/gem1947/98.
- ↑ "Delta Delta Delta". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1947. p. 300. http://issuu.com/uidahodigital/docs/gem1947/300.
- ↑ The Compleat Phil Batt: A Kaleidoscope (ISBN 0-9677135-5-2), 1999, p. 3-16
- ↑ "Idaho Governor Philip E. Batt". National Governors Association. http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_idaho/col2-content/main-content-list/title_batt_philip.html. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ↑ Kennedy, John (November 4, 1982). "Gov. Evans rejoices, Batt talks about quitting politics". p. 1C. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zapfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pTIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5611%2C1135961.
- ↑ "Phil Batt has seen close races before". December 18, 2000. p. 7A. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AqxeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uS4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4911,739895.
- ↑ "Election results". November 8, 1984. p. 7C. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NItfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5C4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=5815%2C2653100.
- ↑ "Batt makes retirement official". February 26, 1988. p. 4B. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QaxfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wjIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3646,2817047.
- ↑ "Idaho Republicans elect Phil Batt chairman". January 13, 1991. p. 1B. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vZRfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HDEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4103,2813933.
- ↑ "Randy Smith is elected to succeed Phil Batt". April 23, 1993. p. 4C. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D39fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FjAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5112,3048944.
- ↑ "Election results". November 10, 1994. p. 8C. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=irVeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LjAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3992%2C2942746.
- ↑ "Batt rescues Republican". November 10, 1994. p. 1C. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=irVeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LjAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4666%2C2883526.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Batt says Republicans shouldn't let guard down". September 18, 1997. p. 3B. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3L4jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yNAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1542,1809232.
- ↑ "U. S. Electoral College". https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2000/members.html.
- ↑ http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/02/27/3052247/batt-urges-idaho-lawmakers-to.html
External links[]
- Idaho Public Television: Phil Batt
- The Almanac of American Politics: Phil Batt
- National Governors Association
- Appearances on C-SPAN
The original article can be found at Phil Batt and the edit history here.