[3] First elected in 1958, he was a seven-term state legislator from Shoshone County,[4][5][6] with a stint as house minority leader.
Andrus left for Washington, D.C. in January 1977 to become the Secretary of the Interior under President Jimmy Carter.
[3][7] He was defeated for election to a full term in November 1978 by Republican Phil Batt of Wilder and left office 46 years ago.
After leaving office, he served on a state advisory panel on economic development and community affairs, appointed by Evans in 1980.
[3] He died of cancer in 1993 at age 81 in Coeur d'Alene where he lived,[14][15] and he and his wife are buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Spokane.