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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control

Foley tribute planned for July 24 at Bing

Tom Foley is a former Eastern Washington Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives. This is a 1989 photo of Foley reading in his office in Washington, DC.  The photo was taken shortly before Foley was sworn in as Spearker of the House. (Photo Archive / The Spokesman-Review)
Tom Foley is a former Eastern Washington Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives. This is a 1989 photo of Foley reading in his office in Washington, DC. The photo was taken shortly before Foley was sworn in as Spearker of the House. (Photo Archive / The Spokesman-Review)

Tom Foley, in 1989, just before being elected speaker of the House. File photo.

 

Spokane’s longest-serving congressman, Tom Foley, will be the subject of a “living tribute” organized by a pair of local businessmen later this month. . .

 

 

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. . . Foley who served in the House of Representatives for 30 years, has been in and out of the hospital in recent months with aspirational pneumonia, and won’t be able to attend. But one of the organizers, Rich Cowan of North by Northwest, said the event will be recorded and sent to Foley and his wife Heather in Washington, D.C.

“He’s in frail health,” Cowan acknowledged. But organizers wanted to bring friends and family together to celebrate Foley’s life.

They’ve planned an hour-long tribute, starting at 5:30 p.m. on July 24 with news anchor Randy Shaw serving as master of ceremonies for some short speeches, music and a video presentation. The lobby of the Bing Crosby Theater will have displays of memorabilia from Foley’s time in Congress and his stint as ambassador to Japan.

Foley was first elected in 1964, and served as chairman of the House Agricultural Committee, House majority whip and majority leader before being elected speaker in 1989. He lost his 1994 re-election campaign to Republican George Nethercutt in the Republican takeover of the House. He served as President Bill Clinton’s ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2001.

“It’s a nonpartisan event,” Cowan said. “It’s just an opportunity for people here to get together.

Admission is free, with a no-host bar, and attendees are asked to arrive an hour early to record messages that will be sent to the Foleys along with a recording of the tribute. Contributions from Avista and Washington Trust Bank are helping to sponsor the event.



Jim Camden
Jim Camden joined The Spokesman-Review in 1981 and retired in 2021. He is currently the political and state government correspondent covering Washington state.

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