president of the company. In 1965, while serving in the Washington State Senate, Pritchard, along with friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, invented the game of pickleball at his summer home on Bainbridge Island, Washington. After the end of his second term as Lieutenant Governor, Pritchard went into retirement and became a board member of TVW, the state of Washington's public affairs network. He died on October 9, 1997, in Olympia, Washington, of lymphoma. Electoral history 1992 General Election for Lieutenant Governor of Washington Joel Pritchard (R) (inc.), 1,072,968 Richard Kelley (D), 862,063 Absolutely Nobody (IC), 148,021 Tom Isenberg (L), 75,933 1988 General Election for Lieutenant Governor of Washington Joel Pritchard (R), 960,655 George Fleming (D), 839,593 1982 General Election for U.S. House of Representatives Joel Pritchard (R) (inc.), 123,956 Brian Long (D), 59,444 1980 General Election for U.S. House of Representatives Joel Pritchard (R) (inc.), 180,475 Robin Drake (D), 41,830 1978 General Election for U.S. House of Representatives Joel Pritchard (R) (inc.), 99,942 Janice Niemi (D), 52,706 1976 General Election for U.S. House of Representatives Joel Pritchard (R) (inc.), 161,354 Dave Wood (D), 58,006 1974 General Election for U.S. House of Representatives Joel Pritchard (R) (inc.), 108,391 Will Knedlik (D), 44,655 1972 General Election for U.S. House of Representatives Joel Pritchard (R), 107,581 John Hempleman (D), 104,959 Craig Honts (SW), 1,401 References External links Joel M. Pritchard: An Oral History |- 1925 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians American people of Welsh descent Creators of sports Lieutenant Governors of Washington (state) Marietta College alumni Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives Military personnel from Seattle Politicians from Seattle Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Washington (state) United States Army soldiers Republican Party Washington (state) state senators Pickleball Sports inventors and innovators