Robert "Bob" Oke (September 4, 1940 - May 14, 2007) was an American politician who served 16 years in the Washington State Senate representing portions of Kitsap County, Washington. A member of the Republican Party, he is credited with championing construction of a second Tacoma Narrows Bridge and for his work on youth smoking prevention. [1] [2]
Oke was born in Spokane and raised in Seattle. Prior to his 1990 election to the senate, he was a career seaman in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a senior chief petty officer. Well-liked by both Democratic and Republican colleagues in the legislature, Oke was interred with military honors at Tahoma National Cemetery in a memorial attended by Governor of Washington Christine Gregoire, Rep. Norm Dicks, and at least half-a-dozen sitting and former state legislators. Following Oke's death, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Lewis County Game Farm was renamed the Bob Oke Game Farm in his memory. [1] [2] [3]
Oke opposed Washington House Bill 2661, which bans various forms of LGBTQ discrimination, on biblical grounds. [4]