Longtime, influential Idaho politician and rancher dies. ‘An incredible steward of the land’

John Thomas Peavey, a Blaine County sheep rancher and former state lawmaker who had a hand in many of Idaho’s political, agricultural and environmental milestones, died June 16. He was 90 years old.

In many ways, Peavey’s life was emblematic of Idaho’s evolution from an overwhelmingly rural and agricultural economy to one of the fastest-growing states in the union. His focus of work was broad and substantial, including the development of campaign finance reform, the allocation of water in the Snake River Basin, and other efforts to democratize the process of managing the state of Idaho.

“First Lady Teresa and I are saddened by the loss of our good friend, John Peavey,” Idaho Gov. Brad Little said in a prepared statement. “John was a passionate rancher, an incredible steward of the land, and a community leader. The Idaho ranching and sheep community are grieving the loss of one of our biggest advocates. First Lady Teresa and I lost a friend, and Idaho lost one of our iconic leaders.”

From his family’s Flat Top Ranch near Carey, Peavey launched initiatives that ranged in scope, but none resonated more with the valley he called home than the annual Trailing of The Sheep Festival, now in its 28th year. Peavey and his wife, Diane, together with the help of a longtime associate, Carol Waller, a festival advisory council member, came up with the idea for the event after a dustup with locals who had become frustrated with the annual movement of thousands of sheep through the valley. The passage of the sheep frustrated users of a paved bike and walking path that allowed users to travel north and south. Many of them began to call and complain about the Peaveys’ usage of the path, which followed the historical movement of shepherds and their flocks down to seek forage in lower elevations every fall.

Peavey surprised everyone, including his wife, by inviting each and every one of the people who called or wrote to complain to meet him and the sheep and walk among them as they moved through the valley, which they did. So it was that people would return, year after year, to walk with the sheep as they trotted down the valley, and to hear Peavey talk about the history and value of shepherding in Idaho.

As they sat in a car driving slowly down the valley, Waller said she leaned over to Diane to say, “I think we may have a festival here.” In 2023, more than 25,000 people, hailing from all 50 states and multiple countries, attended the five-day October event. The economic impact to the valley during the festival is estimated at roughly $6.2 million.

In his 24 years in the Idaho Legislature, Peavey tackled several of Idaho’s most challenging issues, including the development of campaign finance reporting that would later be known as Idaho’s “Sunshine Laws.” The laws help the public understand the relationship between lobbyists and legislators to make sure the public can tell who is supporting its lawmakers and to what extent that support has been accompanied with cash for the public servants.

But with the Idaho Legislature balking at the proposals to open up Idaho campaign finance, Peavey instead launched an initiative campaign in 1974 to codify the proposals. The grassroots campaign was successful.

Peavey was a registered Republican until the mid-1970s, when he defied his party’s position about a coal-fired power plant proposed by Idaho Power Co. Because he was concerned about pumping most, if not all, of the water out of the river to support the power plant, Peavey joined an attorney to help file a complaint with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission in 1977 on behalf of 32 ratepayers.

The adjudication process ultimately ruled the power plant was unnecessary and the state could still opt to change water policy to produce sufficient power without a new power plant. The adjudication was completed in 2014 and is believed to be the largest water rights adjudication in modern history.

The Idaho Conservation League counts Peavey as a “stabilizing force.”

“John helped us keep the keel steady in a time of increased polarization,” said Rick Johnson, a former executive director of the group.

In 2021, John and Diane Peavey were selected to be the grand marshals of the Wagon Days parade and festival, as part of the event’s revival after COVID-19 concerns shut it down in 2020. In announcing its choice, the city of Ketchum stated that the selection of the Peaveys was a way to celebrate the couple’s “significant and lasting contributions to Ketchum’s culture and educational landscape.”

This story was originally published June 26, 2024 at 4:00 AM.