Washington state honors former Senator Sam Hunt by lowering flags to half-staff on May 30, 2026, with a memorial service scheduled in Olympia.
SEATTLE — Washington state flags and U.S. flags at all state agency facilities will be lowered to half-staff on Saturday, May 30, 2026, in honor of former state Senator and Representative Sam Hunt.
Agencies may begin lowering flags at the close of business on Friday, May 29, 2026. Flags are to remain at half-staff until the close of business or sunset on Saturday, May 30, 2026, or until first thing Monday morning, June 1, 2026.
State officials are asking that all agencies notify field offices and facilities statewide. Other government entities, businesses, and individuals are also encouraged to participate in the recognition.
A memorial service is scheduled for May 30, 2026, in Olympia.
Hunt, a statewide civic leader, longtime legislator, and member of the Washington State University Board of Regents, died in April from complications related to leukemia. He was 83.
Hunt spent more than five decades in public service, education, and civic leadership across Washington state. His career also included work in Washington, D.C., where he served as a staff member on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee before returning to his home state.
After retiring from the Washington Legislature in 2024, Hunt was appointed to the WSU Board of Regents. A 1967 graduate of WSU, Hunt maintained strong ties to the university throughout his career.
Hunt grew up in Seattle and Yakima. After graduating from WSU, he taught at Pasco High School, served on the Pasco City Council, and later worked for the Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction before moving to Washington, D.C. He returned to Olympia in 1981, where he held multiple state government roles, taught in the Montesano School District, and served on a school board. He was elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 2000 and to the state Senate in 2016.
Hunt’s wife, Charlene, died in 2017.
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