Category: People

John A. Boynton, Skagit County Sheriff

Skagit County Sheriff John Boynton (1925 – 1999) 20 years, Democrat, FBI National Academy, WSP dispatcher, son of Dr. George Boynton, married to Lou Jane Boynton

Skagit County Sheriff John Boynton (1925-1999) was not what you saw on the exterior. He was tall, wore a crew cut, and had a stern expression. Around people who didn’t know him, he talked about how law enforcement was like the military. When I first heard him speak about military discipline, I was appalled. It was his way of “breaking in” a young deputy prosecutor. In reality, he had a big heart and was a moderate Democrat in the FDR tradition. John was born and raised in Skagit County, the son of a beloved local physician. John was very bright, understood the political climate of the county, and knew how to manage men and women law enforcement officers.

I think John saw me as a project to be encouraged and guided. He fostered a relationship between the prosecuting attorney and sheriff’s offices, wanting our attention to the felony cases referred by his office. When my office needed assistance finding witnesses or serving a trial summons, his office was responsive. John was easily re-elected County Sheriff, but in the 1980s, he ran for State Representative and lost. The voters wanted him to remain as Sheriff. John also was a friend of the Stevens County Sheriff, who was my father-in-law while I was in the Prosecutor’s office.

Douglas D. Peters (1935 – 2020)

Doug Peters (center) was a mentor and supervisor while I interned at Yakima Valley Legal Services. He was a Selah attorney with Felthouse and Peters, a small firm in a small town with a large impact and reputation for excellence. Later, the firm was Peters, Schmaltz, Folwer, and Inslee, having hired future Washington State Governor Jay Inslee. Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brachtenbach was also a former firm member. Doug was kind, intelligent, patient, and filled with legal wisdom. He volunteered to supervise Len Blumenthal and me during our school year, and this photo was taken at a celebration dinner in Yakima, probably at the Black Angus Restaurant. My life was blessed by having Doug as a friend and mentor.

Cables

The Cable family has been part of my life for as long as memory serves. Hank (standing next to me) and Del (standing next to my brother) lived in Wapato, Washington, and had two daughters, Judy and Jerry. Hank went to WSU with my father and became an industrial arts teacher at Wapato High School, where I attended and took a shop class.

I sent this letter to the Cables in January 1969, thanking them for a Christmas package and advising that my unit had deployed back to our base at Camp Casey from the DMZ. Del kept the letter until her daughter, Jerry, sent it to me in 2024.

Dennis Swanson, Spiritual Advisor, Servant-Leader, Evangelist & Friend (1937-2024)

I first met Dennis when he was a Skagit County Board of Adjustment member, and I was its legal advisor. My interaction with Dennis was limited during those months of evening land use hearings. My next meeting with Dennis was our first visit to Bethany Covenant Church in Mount Vernon. Sometime later, Dennis and I started a one-on-one Bible Study at my office in the Courthouse. He was a God-sent friend who patiently opened a path to faith.

Mark E. Wilson, Law Professor & Friend (1938-2020)

Mark E. Wilson changed my life and view of what it means to be a lawyer. He was co-founder of the Clinical Law Program at Gonzaga University Law School in 1974, my second year. I signed up to join the program, was accepted, and spent much of my third year in Granger, Washington, working at a law clinic for indigent clients. Mark retired as Professor Emeritus in 2015 and was awarded the Gonzage Law Medal for his bold vision and leadership.

Pat McMullen Photos

Pat and Bobbi McMullen with Bill Nielsen, circa 1989
Pat and Bobbi McMullen in the rotunda at the Washington State Capital

Mike Redman, Encourager, Warrior & Loyal Friend (1941-2001)

Mike Redman was my predecessor as San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney, having resigned to become Executive Director of the Washinton Association of Prosecuting Attorneys with offices in Olympia. This photo, taken during Mike’s unsuccessful campaign for Attorney General, Mike is in the center, Pat McMullen on the left, and I’m on the right.

Mike graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle and Yale University in 1963, followed by the University of Washington Law School. He then volunteered for the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam. He was featured in the nationally televised special “Halftime,” which traces the lives of five members of his Yale class. It was said correctly about Mike, “He was definitely the guy you wanted in your foxhole when the action started.”

Pat McMullen; Mentor & Friend

Just weeks after taking the Bar Exam, I met Patrick R. McMullen (1945 – 1999) when he was Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney at the home of Mount Vernon attorney Kenny St.Clair. Pat hired me as a Deputy PA starting in October 1976. Pat later went on to become a member of the Washington State House of Representatives and later the Washington State Senate. Had he lived a few years longer most observers believe he would have been appointed U.S. Attorney for Western Washington. Pat was an excellent trial lawyer with a humble approach to jurors that was confounding to opposing lawyers. Click here for more photos.

The Six Moser Brothers

The six Moser brothers are the sons of Henry Alexander Moser and Sarah Lydia Pyle. In the top row are Walt and Fred, and in the bottom row are Bert, Harry, John, and George. They were all born between 1882 and 1895. In addition, they had several sisters and other brothers. My grandfather was Harry Thomas Moser, born in 1886.