Slade Gorton, In Memoriam

Former United States Senator Slade Gorton of Washington, a conservative Republican who opposed Donald Trump, died last month at the age of 92 in a suburb of Seattle. Born in Chicago in 1928 and raised in Evanston, he served in the U.S. Army and later in the Air Force and Air Force reserves, attaining the rank of Colonel. After graduating from Dartmouth College and Columbia University of Law, Gorton practiced law and then entered politics. He was elected to the Washington State Legislature, serving from 1959 to 1969, then elected to three terms as State Attorney General. Gorton was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980, serving until 1987 and then again from 1989-2001, compiling a moderately conservative voting record. Afterwards, he served on the September 11 Commission and for various political committees or organization and on the Board of Trustees for the National Constitution Center. Gorton endorsed former Central Intelligence Agency agent and House Republican policy director Evan McMullin for President, running as an independent against the GOP nominee, Trump, in 2016 and continued to speak out against Trump and Trumpism.