Jennifer Dunn (politician)

Jennifer Dunn
Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference
In office July 17, 1997 – January 3, 1999
Leader	Newt Gingrich
Preceded by	Susan Molinari
Succeeded by	Tillie Fowler
Secretary of the House Republican Conference
In office January 3, 1997 – July 17, 1997
Leader	Newt Gingrich
Preceded by	Barbara Vucanovich
Succeeded by	Tillie Fowler
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 8th district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Rod Chandler
Succeeded by	Dave Reichert
Personal details
Born	Jennifer Jill Blackburn July 29, 1941 Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Died	September 5, 2007 (aged 66) Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Dennis Dunn (1965–1977) Keith Thomson (2003–2007)
Children	Bryant Reagan
Alma mater	University of Washington, Seattle Stanford University
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Jennifer Jill Dunn (née Blackburn; July 29, 1941 – September 5, 2007)^[1] was a prominent Republican member of the United States House of Representatives 1993–2005, representing Washington's 8th congressional district.

Early life

Born in Seattle, Washington, Dunn grew up in the nearby city of Bellevue, and graduated from Bellevue High School in 1959. She attended the University of Washington, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority,^[2] and Stanford University, earning business degrees. After graduation, she worked as a systems engineer.

Political career

Dunn was chair of the Washington State Republican Party from 1981 to 1992 and twice a delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (1984 and 1990). Elected to the House in 1992, she was Washington's only Republican representative until the Republican Revolution of 1994 when Republicans swept all but two of Washington's nine House seats. In 1998, she became the first woman ever to run for the position of House Majority Leader.^[3]

In 2000, she served on the presidential election exploratory committee for then-Texas Governor George W. Bush. Dunn served as Vice-Chairwoman of the Select Committee on Homeland Security and served on the House Ways and Means Committee and the Joint Economic Committee. On October 10, 2002, Dunn voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq.^[4]

Dunn announced in 2004 she would retire from Congress, choosing not to run for re-election. Her seat was eventually filled by King County Sheriff Dave Reichert. She co-chaired the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation with former Representative Calvin Dooley. She also served as co-chair of the campaign organization "Women for Mitt" for presidential candidate Mitt Romney at the time of her death. She was succeeded in the Romney organization by U.S. Representative Kay Granger of Fort Worth, Texas.

Death

Dunn collapsed and died of a pulmonary embolism in 2007, in her Alexandria, Virginia, apartment.^[5] Her memorial service was at St. James Cathedral, Seattle.^[6]

Electoral history

Washington's 8th congressional district: Results 1992–2004^[7]

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct
1992		George O. Tamblyn	87,611	34%		Jennifer Dunn	155,874	60%		Bob Adams	Independent	14,686	6%
1994		Jim Wyrick	44,165	24%		Jennifer Dunn	140,409	76%
1996		Dave Little	90,340	35%		Jennifer Dunn	170,691	65%
1998		Heidi Behrens-Benedict	91,371	40%		Jennifer Dunn	135,539	60%
2000		Heidi Behrens-Benedict	104,944	36%		Jennifer Dunn	183,255	62%		Bernard McIlroy	Libertarian	6,269	2%
2002		Heidi Behrens-Benedict	75,931	37%		Jennifer Dunn	121,633	60%		Mark A. Taff	Libertarian	5,771	3%

References

1. "Jennifer Dunn honored in Legacy Project". Washington Secretary of State. February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
2. "Prominent Members". Gamma Phi Beta. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
3. http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/jennifer-dunn-former-congresswoman-dies Jennifer Dunn, former congresswoman, dies September 5, 2006/
4. 2003 invasion of Iraq votes, govtrack.us; accessed November 9, 2015.
5. Jennifer Dunn, 66, Former Washington Representative, Is Dead, September 6, 2006.
6. "Jennifer Dunn Remembered". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. September 12, 2007. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
7. "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2007-08-08.

External links

• United States Congress. "Jennifer Dunn (id: D000549)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Washington Secretary of State – History Makers – Jennifer Dunn
• HistoryLink.org – Jennifer Blackburn Dunn (1941–2007)
• Appearances on C-SPAN