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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Labrador introduces bill to name Payette post office after Harmon Killebrew

Idaho 1st District GOP Rep. Raul Labrador has introduced legislation to name the U.S. Post Office in Payette after Harmon Killebrew, the legendary baseball player and Payette native who died in 2011.

Killebrew, who was named Idaho’s greatest athlete by Sports Illustrated and who was the American League’s most valuable player in 1969 when he hit 49 home runs, also built a reputation as a philanthropist, raising money for cancer research and for sports fields for kids with disabilities.

“Killebrew was far more than a great athlete. He was a truly good and kind man who used his fame to make the world a better place,” Labrador said in a statement. “His generosity lives on in his hometown and naming the Payette Post Office for him is a well-deserved honor.”

Payette’s high school baseball and football fields already are named for him, and the town holds an annual celebration in his honor.

Labrador’s bill is co-sponsored by Idaho 2nd District GOP Rep. Mike Simpson.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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