The first man to serve in two cabinet positions in Kansas has died at the age of 93. Harland Priddle died on December 12th at his home in McAlester, Oklahoma.
Priddle was born in Hutchinson and grew up on his family farm near Haven. He graduated from Haven High School in 1948 and from Kansas State University in 1952. He joined the Air Force and served 22 years before retiring in 1974. He served as assistant manager of the Kansas State Fair. He served as Kansas Secretary of Agriculture from 1982 to 1986 under Governor John Carlin, then he was the lieutenant governor candidate with Kansas Secretary of State John Breir in 1986. He was chosen by Governor Mike Hayden as the state’s first Secretary of Commerce in 1987 and he was the lieutenant governor candidate with Governor Hayden in 1990. He later created an economic development consulting firm and returned to the family farm near Haven.
In posts on social media, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly paid tribute to Priddle for his service to Kansas:
As the first person in our state’s history to serve as both Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Harland Priddle was a true Kansas legend. He embodied what it meant to be a public servant, and his contributions will continue to live on for future generations. My condolences go out to Secretary Priddle’s family and friends.
Priddle is survived by his wife of 75 years, Winifred, and three children, along with ten grandchildren. Services will be held December 21st at the Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church near Haven.
