Former Gov. Booth Gardner, 2008
Photo: Ted S. Warren, AP

From MSN:
“Former Washington Gov. Booth Gardner, heir to the Weyerhaeuser timber fortune, has died after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.”

“Booth Gardner, a two-term Democratic governor [1985-1993] who later in life spearheaded a campaign that made Washington the second state in the country to legalize assisted suicide for the terminally ill, has died after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 76.

Gardner died Friday [March 15] at his Tacoma home, family spokesman Ron Dotzauer said Saturday. He was the state’s 19th governor.”

“William Booth Gardner was born Aug. 21, 1936, in Tacoma to his socialite mother, Evelyn Booth, and Bryson “Brick” Gardner.”

“His parents divorced when he was 4, and his mother married Norton Clapp, one of the state’s wealthiest citizens who was a former president of Weyerhaeuser and was one of a group of industrialists who helped build the Space Needle for the 1962 World’s Fair.”

“Clapp remained a presence in Gardner’s life, and though he was a Republican, he made significant donations to both of Gardner’s gubernatorial runs.”

Associated Press writer Manuel Valdes contributed from Seattle.
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From the Seattle P-I:
“During Gardners two terms, the state enacted its Growth Management Act and Basic Health Plan.”

“As U.S. Rep. Denny Heck, D-Wash., a former Gardner chief-of-staff added, ‘He will be remembered as a Governor who guided an historic amount of progress while never tooting his own horn.’
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From the AP on CBS News, Rep. Heck added:
“‘He will be remembered as a leader whose natural style of civility, respectfulness and collaboration served our state very well. We could certainly use more Booth Gardners today,'” said U.S. Rep. Denny Heck, who served as Gardner’s chief of staff during his second term.”
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Editor’s Note:
The Booth Garner/Norton Clapp connection to Yelm is through the local descendants of Norton Clapp’s son, Matthew.