Eleanor Lee (politician)

Eleanor Lee was an American Republican politician who served in the Washington State Legislature from 1975 until 1991.

Early life and career

Lee was born in Elgin, Illinois, in 1931 and five years later her family moved to Spokane. She attended Washington State University and later graduated in 1973 from the Evergreen State College with a BA degree in political science. ^[1]

Political career

She first ran for election to the Washington House of Representatives in 1970, but was unsuccessful. In 1974, she ran again for the State House of Representatives and was successfully elected as the member for the 33rd district. ^[1] In 1977, she was elected to the 33rd district of the Washington State Senate in a special election, where she served from 1978 until 1991, ^[2] when she was defeated by Democratic candidate Adam Smith in the 1990 election. ^{[3] [4]}

In 1984, Lee was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Washington, ^[5] but lost to incumbent Democrat John A. Cherberg.

Personal life and death

She was married and had children. ^[6]

In March 2025, an official Washington State Legislature memorial resolution by Senator Bateman confirmed that Lee had passed away. ^[7]

References

1. "Eleanor Lee". Women in the Legislature. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
2. Moore, Ray (1999). Sharon Boswell (ed.). Ray Moore: An Oral History. Washington State Oral History Program, Office of the Secretary of State.
3. Nguyen, Stacy (October 25, 2018). "One on one with Congressman Adam Smith". Northwest Asian Weekly. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
4. "Members of the Legislature, 1889-1997" (PDF). State of Washington. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
5. "Voters' Pamphlet: General Election, November 6, 1984" (PDF). Washington Secretary of State. 1984. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
6. "Eleanor Lee (Biography)" (PDF). Women in the Legislature. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
7. "SIXTY SIXTH DAY, MARCH 19, 2025" (PDF). Washington State Legislature. 19 March 2025.