Phil Batt
Encyclopedia
Philip Eugene Batt was the 29th Governor of Idaho from 1995 to 1999.
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 Idaho Legislature
(Idaho House of Representatives
1965–67, Idaho Senate
1967–79) and as the 35th Lieutenant Governor of Idaho
from 1979 to 1983. 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 re-entered electoral politics. In 1994, Batt won the Republican gubernatorial primary with 48% of the vote, and defeated the Democratic candidate, State 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 (ISBN 0-9677135-5-2), in 1999, and a compilation of humorous stories, Life as a Geezer, in 2002.
in southwestern
Idaho. Though his paternal grandparents were Mormon
missionary immigrants from England, Batt was raised a Baptist
, as this was his mother's faith. Due to a shortage of students, he started first grade early (age 5.5), but later missed a fall semester in high school during World War II to help his father with the harvest and graduated mid-year during the 1944–45 school year. Batt had enlisted in the service on his 17th birthday in 1944; with a brother-in-law killed at Guadalcanal
(and a brother who later lost an arm at Okinawa
), he aimed to be a fighter pilot
to avenge the damage to his family. Still not 18, he briefly attended the University of Idaho
in Moscow
in north
Idaho, then entered the Army Air Forces
in 1945 and was in basic training
during V-J Day.
With the war over, fighter pilots were not needed so Batt served 16 months at Lowry Field in Denver as a clerk, discharging veterans before being discharged himself. He then returned to the UI
and studied chemical engineering
, lived in the dorms
, and led a dance band, playing clarinet
and tenor saxophone
. A year later in January 1948, he eloped with Jacque Fallis of Spokane
, a member of the Delta Delta Delta
sorority. The newlyweds had to leave school a month later when Batt's 66 year-old father was involved in a serious automobile accident which left him with limited strength and speech. Though the young Batts initially hoped to return to college, economic circumstances changed their plans and they reluctantly did not.
Batt was an onion and hops
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
farmer from Wilder
Wilder, Idaho
Wilder is a city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,462 at the 2000 census. The home of former Idaho State Governor Phil Batt, Wilder is primarily an agricultural community, with onions, hops, seed corn, beans and alfalfa seed among the major crops...
. Before becoming governor, he had been a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician in Idaho for 30 years, serving in the Idaho Legislature
Idaho Legislature
The Idaho Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Idaho. It consists of the upper Idaho Senate and the lower Idaho House of Representatives. The Idaho Senate contains 35 Senators, who are elected from 35 districts...
(Idaho House of Representatives
Idaho House of Representatives
The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms and meets at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho.-Composition of the House:...
1965–67, Idaho Senate
Idaho Senate
The Idaho Senate is the upper chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 35 Senators elected to two-year terms, each representing a district of the state. The Senate meets at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho.-Composition of the Senate:...
1967–79) and as the 35th Lieutenant Governor of Idaho
Lieutenant Governor of Idaho
Lieutenant Governor of Idaho is a constitutional statewide elected office in the State of Idaho. According to the Idaho Constitution, the lieutenant governor is elected to a four-year term....
from 1979 to 1983. He ran for governor in 1982 and was defeated in a close race by the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
incumbent, John V. Evans
John V. Evans
John Victor Evans, Sr. was the 27th Governor of Idaho from 1977–87. He is a member of the Democratic Party.Evans was elected to the Idaho Senate in 1952 and re-elected in 1954 and 1956, serving as majority leader in his final term. In 1960, Evans became mayor of Malad City and served in that...
. Future U.S Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and Governor Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Arthur Kempthorne , was the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, who served under President George W. Bush from 2006 to 2009. A Republican, Kempthorne previously served as the 30th Governor and as a U.S. Senator from Idaho...
served as his campaign manager.
After rebuilding the Idaho Republican Party into near-total dominance as party chairman in the early 1990s, Batt re-entered electoral politics. In 1994, Batt won the Republican gubernatorial primary with 48% of the vote, and defeated the Democratic candidate, State Attorney General
State Attorney General
The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states and territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those...
Larry EchoHawk
Larry EchoHawk
Larry EchoHawk is an attorney and legal scholar. On May 20, 2009, EchoHawk joined the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama as the head of the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. He served as Attorney General of Idaho from 1991 to 1995.-Biography:EchoHawk was raised in Farmington, New...
, 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 (ISBN 0-9677135-5-2), in 1999, and a compilation of humorous stories, Life as a Geezer, in 2002.
Early life
The fifth and youngest child of John and Elizabeth Karn Batt, he grew up on a farm near WilderWilder, Idaho
Wilder is a city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,462 at the 2000 census. The home of former Idaho State Governor Phil Batt, Wilder is primarily an agricultural community, with onions, hops, seed corn, beans and alfalfa seed among the major crops...
in southwestern
Southwestern Idaho
Southwestern Idaho is a geographical term for the area along the state of Idaho's borders with Oregon and Nevada. It includes the populous areas of the Boise metropolitan area, Treasure Valley and Magic Valley.-Counties:Ada |Adams |Boise |Canyon |...
Idaho. Though his paternal grandparents were Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
missionary immigrants from England, Batt was raised a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, as this was his mother's faith. Due to a shortage of students, he started first grade early (age 5.5), but later missed a fall semester in high school during World War II to help his father with the harvest and graduated mid-year during the 1944–45 school year. Batt had enlisted in the service on his 17th birthday in 1944; with a brother-in-law killed at Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
(and a brother who later lost an arm at Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
), he aimed to be a fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
to avenge the damage to his family. Still not 18, he briefly attended the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
in Moscow
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
in north
Idaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho...
Idaho, then entered the Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
in 1945 and was in basic training
Basic Training
Basic Training may refer to:* Basic Training, a 1971 American documentary directed by Frederick Wiseman* Basic Training , an American sex comedy* Recruit training...
during V-J Day.
With the war over, fighter pilots were not needed so Batt served 16 months at Lowry Field in Denver as a clerk, discharging veterans before being discharged himself. He then returned to the UI
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
and studied chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
, lived in the dorms
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
, and led a dance band, playing clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
. A year later in January 1948, he eloped with Jacque Fallis of Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, a member of the Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta , also known as Tri Delta, is an international sorority founded on November 27, 1888, the eve of Thanksgiving Day. With over 200,000 initiates, Tri Delta is one of the world's largest NPC sororities.-History:...
sorority. The newlyweds had to leave school a month later when Batt's 66 year-old father was involved in a serious automobile accident which left him with limited strength and speech. Though the young Batts initially hoped to return to college, economic circumstances changed their plans and they reluctantly did not.