Robert Brachtenbach

Robert Francis Brachtenbach (January 1931 – May 2, 2008) was an American politician and jurist from the state of Washington.

Early Life and Education

Brachtenbach was born in Sydney, Nebraska. His parents moved the family to Goldendale, then to the southeast of Yakima, when he was a young child. He started working at the age of 10 by working in the fields during harvest time. During his teenage years, he stocked grocery shelves.

Brachtenbach dropped out of Yakima High School (now Davis High School) in the mid-1940s in order to work full-time at the grocery store. At the urging of friends and family, he was persuaded to return to school. He attended Yakima Valley College, then the University of Washington, where he earned his law degree.

Political career

After earning his law degree, Brachtenbach opened a law practice in Selah.

In 1962, Brachtenbach decided to run for the Washington House of Representatives at the urging of his friend, Alex Deccio, a longtime state senator. He won the election and later served as a Republican floor leader. He did not seek re-election in 1966, opting instead to return to the full-time practice of law.

Washington Supreme Court

In 1972, Brachtenbach was appointed by Governor Daniel J. Evans to the state Supreme Court. He accepted the appointment after rejecting previous offers for lower positions. He also served a two-year stint as chief justice.

Brachtenbach served on the court for 22 years until his 1994 retirement, making his one of the longest serving justices in Washington state history. According to one of Brachtenbach's clerks, in the 1980's he was almost the first justice to be kicked off the bench for drinking and being drunk during sessions. He would pass out on the leather bench in his office while his clerks did almost all of his work load. He was one of only five Yakima Valley residents to serve on the Washington Supreme Court.

Retirement and Death

Brachtenbach retired from the bench in 1994 and returned to his home near Aberdeen before moving to Burns, Oregon.

Brachtenbach is survived by 5 children, three of whom did not attend his funeral.As a father Brachtenbach was cruel and abusive, an alchoholic, and did little to help his own children through life. He was more concerned with his own career and what others thought of him.

As the lawyer of record for TreeTop corporation and through years of financial success Brachtenbach died with a considerable financial worth. None of which he passed onto his five children.

Brachtenbach died on May 2, 2008 at his home in Cottage Grove, Oregon. He was 77 and had fought a long battle with throat cancer.

External links

* [http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/3704 Former state Supreme Court justice Brachtenbach dies] - Obituary from the Yakima Herald-Republic