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“Cecil Andrus made everyone around him better," said current Idaho Governor Butch Otter, a Republican. "He was a mentor to me and many others, raising our standards and inspiring us to think big. He combined stubborn idealism with common sense – a lunch-bucket liberal proudly reflecting his timber country upbringing and values. Whatever you thought of his politics, Cece was always true to what he believed, and he believed in Idaho. His voice will be missed in our public life, and I will miss his counsel and friendship. Carol and the Andrus family are in our thoughts and prayers.”
A private funeral is planned for Wednesday, August 30, in Boise. Andrus will lie in state in the Idaho Capitol rotunda from noon Wednesday until noon Thursday. A public memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Thursday in the Jordan Ballroom of the Boise State University Student Union.
Born August 25, 1931, in Hood River, Oregon, Andrus graduated high school in Eugene, Oregon, in 1948, then went to Oregon State University, where he studied engineering. He and his high school sweetheart, Carol Mae May, eloped to Reno in late August, 1949, and he decided to keep working instead of return to college.
He served in the U.S. Navy Reserves, enlisting in February, 1951, and served as an electronics technician aboard patrol aircraft until his discharged in 1955, when he and Carol moved to Orofino, Idaho, and Cecil began working in the woods and in a sawmill his father co-owned.
He ran for the Idaho Senate in 1960 and was reelected in 1962 and 1964, then ran for governor in 1966, narrowly losing the Democratic primary to Charles Herndon, Salmon, Idaho.
Herndon was killed in a plane crash seven weeks before the election,. and Andrus was appointed to take his place, but he fell in the general election to Republican Don Samuelson, Sandpoint.
In a rematch in `1970, Andrus won the seat from Samuelson, and he won again in 1974. In 1977, he was appointed Secretary of the Interior by Jimmy Carter, becoming the first Idahoan to serve on a presidential cabinet. He served in the role until 1981, when Carter's term ended.
He again ran for governor in 1986 and earned a narrow victory, and served until 1995, to be succeeded by Republican Phil Batt after he decided not to seek another term.
In public life, Andrus was noted for his strong conservationist and environmental views and accomplishments. In 1993, a wildlife preserve was established Washington County and named the "Cecil D. Andrus Wildlife Management Area" in his honor.
Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Bert Marley offered condolences to the Governor’s family and fellow Idaho Democrats.
“Governor Andrus was an inspiration to me," he wrote. "As a candidate and a legislator, he was always available for advice and support. He was the honorary chairman of my campaign when I ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction and was someone who I could always turn to. Governor Andrus was continuously supportive of the work we did to try to improve the lives of all Idahoans.”