Name Alfred Derr Role Politician | Died April 1, 1970 | |
Alfred Morley Derr (May 16, 1903 – April 1, 1970) was a Democratic politician from Idaho.
Life
Both he and his wife, Hattie Derr (1905—1994), were students at University of Idaho. His senatorial career started in 1937, and he was a member of the Idaho Legislature, serving five terms in the Idaho State Senate (three of them : 1937, 1939 to 1942, 1955 to 1958). During his first senatorial tenure his wife ringed in for Mr. Derr as he was having a surgery. This was the first instance of a woman serving as a senator. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Idaho in 1958. Derr was defeated by the Republican incumbent, Robert E. Smylie.
Apart from his political career, he lived the life of a farmer, was a teacher and a logger. His son, Allen Derr, an Idaho lawyer, won the landmark 1971 Reed v. Reed U.S. Supreme Court case in 1971 and co-founded for the Idaho Press Club. Other children include Beverly Shields, John Derr, James Derr, and Jane Betts.