William E. Finkbeiner (born May 5, 1969) is an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Washington State Capitol, Legis ...

, representing the 45th district from 1995 to 2007. Originally a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he became a Republican in 1994 following the

Republican Revolution The "Republican Revolution", "Revolution of '94", or "Gingrich Revolution" are political slogans that refer to the Republican Party's (GOP) success in the 1994 U.S. midterm elections, which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House o ...

and served as a member of the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

from 1993 to 1995. In 2003 he became the youngest Senate Majority Leader in the history of the

. In a return to politics at age 43, he ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

against incumbent Democrat

Brad Owen Bradley Scott Owen (born May 23, 1950) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Washington from 1997 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was previously elected to the Washington State Legi ...

Early life

Finkbeiner was born in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and lives in

Kirkland, Washington Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. A suburb east of Seattle, its population was 92,175 in the 2020 U.S. census which made it the sixth largest city in King County and the twelfth largest city in the state of Washington. ...

. He attended Lake Washington High School where he was a three-sport letterman and competed in the state wrestling championships. Finkbeiner graduated from

Whitman College Whitman College is a private liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. The school offers 53 majors and 33 minors in the liberal arts and sciences, and it has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. Founded as a seminary by a territorial l ...

in Walla Walla, Washington where he edited ''The Source'' magazine and was assistant editor of the school newspaper, ''The Pioneer''. He co-hosted a weekly radio show called ''Bill and Bill’s Barbecue Blues Hour''. In 2007, Bill completed the executive MBA program at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Career

In 1992, at 23, Finkbeiner was elected to the

Washington State House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 dis ...

as a Democrat from the 45th District (including Kirkland, Redmond, Duval, Carnation) and became the youngest member of that chamber. In 1994, he left the House of Representatives and switched parties to run as a Republican for the State Senate where became the youngest member of that body. He served in the Washington State Senate from 1994 until 2006. In 2003, Finkbeiner became the youngest Senate Majority Leader in state history. He was known for his efforts to reduce partisanship, and during his tenure no bill was passed on a party line vote. In 2006, Finkbeiner cast the deciding vote for an anti-discrimination bill for gays and lesbians. Finkbeiner was a leader in technology and telecommunications issues, where he used his years of experience working in the private sector at Microsoft and other high tech companies to help the state distinguish itself as a policy leader. Bill was the first legislator in the state to use email to communicate with constituents. He worked to get state legislation online. Bill worked closely with the Washington Technology Alliance, and was part of Governor

Gary Locke Gary Faye Locke (born January 21, 1950) is an American politician, attorney, and former diplomat from the State of Washington. Locke served as the 21st governor of Washington from 1997 to 2005, where he was the first Chinese-American governor ...

's Digital Education Task Force. Finkbeiner also worked in the private sector, including at Microsoft as a contract project manager for five years, three years as an executive director in an online education company, and for other high tech companies. Finkbeiner now operates his own business specializing in commercial property management and land development.

Personal life

Finkbeiner married Kristin Rowe in the mid-1990s when he was a state representative. They have two children. He has served on many boards as a volunteer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finkbeiner, Bill 1969 births Living people Washington (state) Democrats Washington (state) Republicans Members of the Washington House of Representatives Washington (state) state senators Candidates in the 2012 United States elections 21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature