George M. Stafford; Ex-Head of Interstate Commerce Commission

George M. Stafford, 80, former chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission who served on the appointive body from 1967 to 1980. A resident of Bethesda, Md., Stafford had lived in the Washington area for 45 years. Born in Valley Falls, Kan., he was executive secretary to Kansas Gov. Frank Carlson from 1947 to 1950, when Carlson was elected to the U.S. Senate. Stafford moved to Washington with Carlson and was the Kansas Republican’s administrative assistant until 1967, when President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the ICC. Stafford was reappointed in 1970 by President Richard Nixon, who later named him chairman. He served in that role until retiring in 1980. On June 16 in Washington of kidney failure.