Category: Public Office Years

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.

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. Most observers believe he would have been appointed U.S. Attorney for Western Washington had he lived a few more years. Pat was an excellent trial lawyer with a humble approach to jurors that was confounding to opposing lawyers. Click here for more photos.