Philip Batt
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. |
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