Mike Lowry

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Michael Edward Lowry
Mike Lowry

In office
1993 – 1997
Lieutenant Joel Pritchard
Preceded by Booth Gardner
Succeeded by Gary Locke

Born March 8, 1939 (1939-03-08) (age 69)
St. John, Washington
Political party Democratic

Michael Edward "Mike" Lowry (born March 8, 1939) served as the twentieth governor of the U.S. state of Washington from 1993 to 1997. Lowry is a Democrat.

Lowry was born and raised in St. John, Washington, and graduated from Washington State University in 1962. He had a brief career working for the Washington State Senate and as a lobbyist for Group Health Cooperative before being elected to the King County Council in 1975. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Washington's Seventh Congressional District in 1978, where he served until 1989.

Lowry twice ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate. In a 1983 special election, he was defeated by Republican Dan Evans in a race to replace Democrat Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson, and in 1988 he lost to Slade Gorton, also a Republican, in an extremely close race.

An unabashed liberal, Lowry was elected governor in 1992 and served for a single term. His principal policy initiative was enactment of a statewide system of health insurance with premiums based on ability to pay. He chose not to run for re-election to a second term due to a sexual harassment scandal in which his deputy press secretary, Susanne Albright, accused him of making inappropriate remarks and fondling her. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Commissioner of Public Lands in 2000. More recently, Lowry has been active in building affordable housing for Washington's migrant farm workers.

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Preceded by
Booth Gardner (D)
Governors of Washington
1993 – 1997
Succeeded by
Gary Locke (D)
Preceded by
John E. Cunningham (R)
U.S. Representative Washington's 7th District
1979 – 1989
Succeeded by
Jim McDermott (D)