Image shows Governor Evans shaking hands with Thor C. Tollefson, Director of the Department of Fisheries, as he receives a certificate of appreciation, February 28, 1975. Thor Carl Tollefson (1901-1982), Representative to Congress from Washington State, was born in Minnesota and later moved to Tacoma, Washington in 1912. In 1930, he graduated from the University of Washington Law School in Seattle, and became a Pierce County prosecutor in 1938. In 1944 Tollefson ran as a Republican in the race for Representative of Washington State in the 6th district, which then covered all of Pierce and King counties except the city of Seattle. He lost to Democrat John Coffee that year, but ran again in 1946 and this time was successfully elected to the 80th Congress. He was re-elected to the next seven congresses, serving as a Representative consecutively from January 1947 to January 1965. During his congressional career, he served on the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee from 1949 to 1964. In 1964, Tollefson was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the 88th Congress. Following his Congressional career, Tollefson was appointed director of fisheries for the State of Washington and later served as special assistant to the Governor in charge of international fisheries negotiations. He died December 30, 1982 in Tacoma, Washington. Image courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.