Former Rep. Nethercutt, Who Defeated Speaker Foley in 1994, Dies at 79

Former GOP Rep. George Nethercutt. Credit: AP Photo/Ted S.Warren.

According to The Associated Press, on Tuesday, Former U.S. Representative George Nethercutt, renowned for his remarkable victory over Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley during the 1994 Republican surge that shifted the national political landscape, has passed away at the age of 79.

His death, according to his son, Elliott, was attributed to progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurodegenerative brain disease, as confirmed by his son in an email on Monday. Nethercutt died on Friday near Denver.

“He lived a life based in faith, family, community, and service, never sacrificing his principles as a statesman,” Elliott Nethercutt wrote.

Recall, the1994 midterm elections were a significant turning point in American politics, occurring midway through President Bill Clinton’s first term. These elections marked a decisive victory for the Republicans, who seized control of both houses of Congress for the first time since the early 1950s. George Nethercutt played a pivotal role in this political upheaval.

Before entering the political arena, Nethercutt served as chairman of the Spokane County Republican Party and worked as the chief of staff to Alaska Senator Ted Stevens in the 1970s. However, he had never run for office before challenging Tom Foley, who had represented Washington’s 5th Congressional District for three decades and served as the Speaker of the House for the last five years of his tenure.

Nethercutt’s campaign focused on Foley’s opposition to term limits, leveraging Foley’s long tenure in office as a point of contention. His advertisements reminded voters that Foley had been in office since the television show “Bonanza” was a top-rated program. This resonated with the electorate, and Foley became the first sitting Speaker of the House to lose a reelection bid since 1860.

Nethercutt aligned himself with the Republican revolution of 1994, joining other GOP candidates in signing the Contract with America. This document, championed by Rep. Newt Gingrich and others, outlined a series of conservative policy priorities, including the adoption of term limits. Although Nethercutt initially promised to serve no more than three terms, he ultimately served five terms before leaving the House to mount an unsuccessful Senate campaign against Democrat Patty Murray in 2004.

“George Nethercutt was a giant amongst men who served the people of Eastern Washington with honor and patriotism for a decade,” Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who succeeded Nethercutt in representing Washington’s 5th District, said in a Facebook post. “George was a man of character who led with kindness and conviction, and he was a person I proudly looked up to long before the day I was sworn in to represent the Fifth District we shared such a love for.”

During his time in office, Nethercutt prioritized expanding international markets for agricultural products from eastern Washington, securing federal funding for Fairchild Air Force Base, and supporting research grants to Washington State University. His conservative voting record was typical of the Republicans elected in the 1994 wave, and he notably supported the impeachment of President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

After his congressional career, Nethercutt became a lobbyist and continued his commitment to civic education through the George Nethercutt Foundation. The foundation awarded scholarships, hosted competitions, and organized educational trips to Washington, D.C., to promote civic engagement among students.

Nethercutt also attended memorial services for Tom Foley after his death in 2013, demonstrating his respect for his former opponent. In 2021, Nethercutt joined the advisory board of Washington State University’s Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service. He also established the George Nethercutt Endowed Lecture Series on Civic Engagement at the university.

“Since 2008, my foundation has promoted civic education among students, so they are prepared to engage with our democratic system — a system that depends on the participation of informed citizens, open dialogue, and compromise to function properly,” Nethercutt said at the time.

Born in Spokane in 1944, George Nethercutt graduated from Washington State University and later from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1971. While in law school, he briefly clerked for Ralph Foley, Tom Foley’s father, who was a Spokane County Superior Court judge.

Nethercutt is survived by his wife, Mary Beth Nethercutt, whom he married in 1977, his two children, Meredith Nethercutt Krisher and Elliott Nethercutt, his sister Nancy Nethercutt Gustafson, his brother John Irving Nethercutt, and his granddaughter Holly Beth Krisher.

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