After 20 years, Steve Shurtleff has cast his last vote as a member of the 400-member New Hampshire House of Representatives.

On Thursday, colleagues and friends gathered to honor the speaker emeritus, who also held the titles of House speaker, minority leader and majority leader. He is the first New Hampshire representative to hold all four of those positions, according to the House speaker’s office.

Colleagues say Shurtleff leads by example, embodying a mutual respect, generosity and collaborative determination that some in the group worry is slipping away in the General Court.

“The relationship, I think, that Steve and I have proves that you can disagree on different subjects, you can disagree on philosophy, but you can still be with friends,” said Speaker Sherman Packard, presenting Shurtleff, whom he described as a close friend, with a plaque honoring his service. “You can put the rhetoric aside and you can truly disagree philosophically without being disagreeable… the House is losing a very valuable member.”

Shurtleff is running uncontested for an open seat on the Merrimack County Commission.

In that role, he has said he would focus on finding solutions to the nursing shortage at the county nursing home and work to interrupt cycles of recidivism at the jail, providing better support services to inmates, including education and counseling.

When he announced his plans to leave his seat, Shurtleff described wanting to spend more time with family while still serving his fellow citizens. The opening on the commission, arising from Tara Reardon’s candidacy for state Senate, provided the perfect opportunity.

Shurtleff told the Monitor in June that his most proud accomplishments in the House had won support from Republicans. He leaves state politics concerned about a growing negativity and polarization he has noticed among his fellow lawmakers.

His peers see it too — and they hope his legacy can serve as a guide.

“Everything that has been said today reflects something that I like to think all of us believe at some level,” Rep. Majorie Smith said. “That personal integrity and respect for each other and treating each other honestly is much more important than any piece of legislation that we might disagree on.

“We might be able to create a change in the climate, in the New Hampshire House,” she continued. “If we were to do that, it would be because we understand the value of principles that Steve Shurtleff has inspired in all of us… I don’t quite know what we’ll do without you, Steve, but we’re going to try to muddle through.”

Catherine McLaughlin can be reached at cmclaughlin@cmonitor.com