In 1966, he was elected to the Washington State Senate, where he served a single term from 1967 to 1971. In 1970 Pritchard, a member of Washington Citizens for Abortion Reform (WCAR), introduced a bill allowing abortions in the first four months of pregnancy; it was approved and went to the voters as Referendum 20. The measure was approved statewide by voters in November 1970, making Washington the first state to in which abortion was legalized by a popular vote.[1]
In 1972, Pelly retired and Pritchard ran for the U.S. House of Representatives again, this time successfully, defeating opponents John Hempleman and Craig Honts in a closely contested election. He was easily reelected in 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982, serving from 1973 to 1985. He chose not to run for reelection in 1984.
In 1988, he made a successful run for Lieutenant Governor of Washington, becoming president of the Washington Senate. He was reelected in 1992, serving from 1989 to 1997.
Personal life
Pritchard was the second son of Frank and Jean (McFee) Pritchard. He was born on May 5, 1925, in Seattle, Washington, where he attend public schools, and graduated from Queen Anne High School in June 1944.[3]
At the rank of Sergeant, he served in the United States Army from 1944 to 1946. After leaving the service, he attended Marietta College in Ohio from 1946 to 1947. He worked for the Griffin Envelope Company in Seattle from 1948 to 1971 where he became president of the company.
In 1965, while serving in the Washington State Senate, Pritchard, along with friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, invented the game of pickleball at his summer home on Bainbridge Island, Washington.[4]
After the end of his second term as Lieutenant Governor, Pritchard went into retirement and became a board member of TVW, the state of Washington's public affairs network. He died on October 9, 1997, in Olympia, Washington, of lymphoma.[5]
Electoral history
1992 general election for Lieutenant Governor of Washington[6]
