| Jennifer Dunn | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 8th district |
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| In office 1993–2005 |
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| Preceded by | Rod Chandler |
| Succeeded by | Dave Reichert |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 29, 1941 Seattle, Washington |
| Died | September 5, 2007 (aged 66) Alexandria, Virginia |
| Nationality | United States |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Washington, Stanford University |
Jennifer Blackburn Dunn (July 29, 1941 – September 5, 2007) was a prominent Republican member of the United States House of Representatives 1993–2005, representing Washington's 8th congressional district.
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Born in Seattle, Washington, Dunn grew up in the nearby city of Bellevue. She attended the University of Washington, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta,[1] and Stanford University, earning business degrees. After graduation, she worked as a systems engineer.
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. 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.
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
Dunn 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.
Dunn collapsed and died of a pulmonary embolism in 2007, in her Alexandria, Virginia apartment.[2][3][4]
| 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% |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rod Chandler |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 8th congressional district 1993–2005 |
Succeeded by Dave Reichert |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Susan Molinari New York |
Vice-Chairman of House Republican Conference 1997–1999 |
Succeeded by Tillie Fowler Florida |