John Spellman

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John Spellman

John Dennis Spellman (born December 29, 1926 in Seattle , Washington - † January 16, 2018 there ) was an American politician . He was the 18th governor of Washington state from 1981 to 1985 .

Early years and political advancement

John Spellman attended Seattle University after elementary school and then studied law at Georgetown University . During the Second World War he was a soldier in the US Navy . Prior to his public service career, he served as a Seattle attorney for 13 years.

Spellman's political career began in King County . There he was from 1967 to 1969 administrative employee and between 1969 and 1981 district administrator ( King County Executive ). During this time he was deputy chairman of the nationwide Association of All Counties. In 1980 he was elected as the candidate of the Republican Party for the new governor of Washington, where he prevailed with 57:43 percent of the vote against the Democrat Jim McDermott .

Washington governor

John Spellman took office on January 14, 1981. During his four-year tenure, the state was hit by an economic crisis. Spellman responded by cutting spending and increasing taxes. Within a year he managed to eliminate the budget deficit of about $ 1.1 billion and turn it into a surplus of about $ 97 million. Other problems during his tenure were clearing up the aftermath of the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption in 1980 and a ferry strike. The country's prisons were hopelessly overcrowded. Therefore, under Governor Spellman, a penal institution was bought by the federal government. John Spellman was also strongly committed to environmental protection and prevented environmentally harmful industrial projects such as the construction of an oil pipeline under the Puget Sound . On the other hand, he promoted foreign trade and tourism. However, since he was ultimately unable to bring the economic problems under control, he was no longer able to prevail in the 1984 elections.

Further life

After his tenure ended on January 16, 1985, Spellman became a partner in a major Seattle law firm. In 1990 he unsuccessfully applied for a position as a judge at the Washington Supreme Court . He was then Professor of Administrative Law at Seattle University. To the present day he has remained the last Republican governor of Washington. John Spellman was married to Lois Murphy, with whom he had six children. Spellman survived his wife by only nine days; she died on January 24, 2018.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Former Washington governor, King County executive John Spellman dies
  2. ^ Former Washington first lady Lois Spellman dies days after losing her husband
personal data
SURNAME Spellman, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Spellman, John Dennis (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH December 29, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Seattle , Washington
DATE OF DEATH January 16, 2018
Place of death Seattle , Washington