He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War; after returning to Kansas, he married Frederica Voiland in 1956 and worked as an attorney.
The couple had six children before divorcing acrimoniously; the youngest child, Bridget Everett, became a noted comedian and cabaret performer.
[2] Everett's first forays into elected office were winning races for county attorney of Riley County and serving as a member of the city council in Manhattan, Kansas (including a stint as mayor).
While in the Kansas House, he rose to the post of Majority Leader.
During his fourth term, in 1975, he was appointed to the Kansas Senate to fill the seat left vacant by Richard Dean Rogers, who resigned to serve as a federal judge.