Jack Metcalf
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Jack Metcalf (November 30, 1927 - March 15, 2007) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001. He represented the 2nd Congressional District of Washington as a Republican.
Metcalf was born in Marysville, Washington. After graduating from high school, he entered the U.S. Army, and was discharged in 1947. He then worked for two years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a marshal in Alaska. Metcalf received a bachelor's degree in education from Pacific Lutheran University in 1951, and a master's degree from the University of Washington in 1966. Metcalf worked as a teacher for thirty years, later retiring to run a bed and breakfast on his family's homestead at Langley, Washington.
Metcalf was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 1960, representing the 38th District. Defeated for a third term in 1964, he was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1966 from the 21st District and served until 1974, and served again from the 10th District from 1980 to 1992. He twice ran unsuccessfully against incumbent Democrat Warren G. Magnuson for United States Senate in 1968 and 1974. In 1992, Metcalf again sought national office, but was unable to defeat incumbent Democrat Allan Swift in the House election.
With Swift retiring from the House in 1994, Metcalf ran yet again. This time, he was elected; he was re-elected in 1996 and 1998. A supporter of term limits such as those proposed in the 1994 Contract with America (which Metcalf had signed), Metcalf did not run for re-election in 2000 in order to honor his self-imposed term-limit of three two-year terms.
A Goldwater conservative, during the latter part of his political career Metcalf was known as an opponent of the Federal Reserve. He also built a close relationship with many in organized labor, especially with the building trade unions. In his last term in office (1998-2000) he surprised some observers by taking some additional positions unusual for a conservative Republican, such as working with Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd to protest whaling by the Makah tribe, and hiring Washington state antiwar speaker and writer Craig B. Hulet [1] as a special assistant.
Metcalf died at age 79 at an Alzheimer's care facility in Oak Harbor.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Obituary from the Seattle Times
| Preceded by Allan Swift |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 2nd congressional district 1995 - 2001 |
Succeeded by Rick Larsen |
