Doug Sutherland (American politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doug Sutherland, an American politician, currently serves as the Commissioner of Public Lands for the state of Washington. He is a Republican.

Sutherland was born in Montana but moved to Spokane, Washington. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Central Washington University. With his purchase of the Tacoma Tent and Awning Company in 1971, Sutherland became a successful small business owner. In 1980, he was elected to the Tacoma City Council. He was elected mayor two years later. When the city of SeaTac was incorporated, he was hired as the first city manager. In 1992, he was elected Pierce County Executive, where he served until his election in 2000 as Commissioner of Public Lands. The incumbent, Jennifer Belcher, who was known for polarizing environmental and economic interests, decided not to run for re-election in 2000. Sutherland won election that year after defeating former Governor of Washington Mike Lowry.

In 2004, Sutherland won re-election in a race with Democrat Mike Cooper.