Don Delos Eldridge (December 26, 1919 – October 16, 2007) was an American politician.

Early life and education

He was born in

Mount Vernon, Washington Mount Vernon is the county seat of and the most populous city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. A central location in the Skagit River Valley, the city is located south of the U.S.–Canada border and north of Seattle. The popul ...

. He graduated from Mount Vernon High School and Mount Vernon Junior College. While at junior college, he completed the first phase of civilian pilot training in anticipation of joining the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

.Oral History-Don Eldridge
/ref> He attended

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

for one year and received a degree in education from Western Washington College of Education. He then worked in his family's stationary business and local newspaper in Mount Vernon.

Career

He served in the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

1952–1970 as a Republican and was the speaker. In 1970, Eldridge was appointed to the

Washington State Liquor Control Board The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, formerly the Washington State Liquor Control Board, is an administrative agency of the State of Washington. The Liquor and Cannabis Board is part of the executive branch and reports to the governo ...

and served until 1979. He was a member of the first Washington Redistricting Commission in 1983. He was in the property management business in

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington. It had a population of 55,605 at the 2020 census, making it the state of Washington's 23rd-most populous city. Olympia is the county seat of Thurston County, and the central city ...

. He died in Olympia, Washington.'Former WA Speaker Don Eldridge dies,'

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

, October 23, 2007

Notes

1919 births 2007 deaths People from Mount Vernon, Washington People from Olympia, Washington Washington State University alumni Western Washington University alumni Businesspeople from Washington (state) Speakers of the Washington House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 20th-century American businesspeople United States Army Air Forces soldiers 20th-century members of the Washington State Legislature {{Washington-WARepresentative-stub