Boatwright was a longtime state legislator from Concord, California, a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area.

His service included action in the Battle at Chosin Reservoir (November 27, 1950 to December 13, 1950) in which 1,029 American soldiers were killed, 4,582 were wounded and 4,894 were missing.

[4] In the state legislature, Boatwright was considered a political moderate who occasionally broke with party orthodoxy and got along well with his Republican colleagues.

[5] After leaving the legislature, Boatwright became General Counsel for Sacramento Advocates, a prominent California lobbying firm.

"Dan Boatwright was a dedicated legislator, an early proponent of a national balanced budget amendment and a very good representative of Contra Costa County.