(The Center Square) – Former Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro and former House Speaker Frank Chopp have both passed away.
In a statement announcing Munro’s death on March 20 at 81, SOS Steve Hobbs noted that his predecessor’s accomplishments, including the Ralph Munro Institute for Civic Education at Western Washington University
“Ralph Munro was a dedicated servant of the people during his time as Secretary of State and in various positions in the state government, using his compassion and commitment to improve the lives of people in Washington and around the world,” the statement read. “He was a big proponent of improving access for the disabled, particularly in election polling places at a time before mail-in voting was widely used.”
Born in Seattle, Munro was an aide to Gov. Dan Evans before serving as the 13th Secretary of State from 1980 to 2000. He was a proponent of vote-by-mail.
According to an obituary published by Chopp’s family, the former House Speaker died on March 22 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 71.
“Up until the day he died, he was doing what he loved and what people loved about him. Frank’s passion in his career as a community organizer, nonprofit executive, and 30-year elected official was intertwined with the kindness and enthusiasm he shared with his wife, children, family, and friends each day,” the obituary states. “His intellectual curiosity was as boundless as his energy. He woke up every day with a passion to solve problems and make people’s lives better.”
Born in Bremerton, Chopp served as the 46th House Speaker from 2002 to 2019, when he voluntary stepped down but remained in his legislative seat until he declined to run for reelection last year.
An advocate for public housing, Chopp served as the executive director of an antipoverty nonprofit and while a student at the University of Washington he built and lived in a geodesic dome in a Cascade parking lot to protest the bulldozing of low-income housing nearby.