Louise Shadduck & Other Lionesses

In the 1990s, then governor Phil Batt presents Louise Shadduck with a bouquet of flowers after the announcement that the new Idaho Department of Lands building at the Coeur d’Alene Industrial park will be named after her. (SR file photo: Liz Kishimoto)

If the “lion of Idaho” was William E. Borah, Idaho’s most famous United States Senator, a strong case can be made that the “lioness of Idaho” has to be the late Louise Shadduck. Others will argue that the title should be bestowed on Verda Barnes. Or, if one believes that a prerequisite for such a designation is to have held public office then Gracie Pfost has to be a leading candidate. Louise who? Verda who? Gracie who? Therein lies the challenge. Only a few political junkies or academics know who these three talented women were, each of whom had a profound influence on Idaho’s political life. Each deserves a biography, yet thus far, only two are in the works. The case for Louise is the strongest. She was the first female executive assistant to any Idaho governor, but in her case because it was Idaho’s first post-war progressive governor, Dr. C.A. Robins (from St. Maries), Louise, by Doc Robins’ own admission, had a profound influence on the many progressive initiatives he undertook/ Chris Carlson , The Carlson Chronicles. More here.

Question: Do you remember Coeur d’Alene Republican Louise Shadduck?