Jean Berkey
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Jean Louise Berkey (née Haskell; August 22, 1938 – August 21, 2013) was an American politician who served as a Washington State Senator from
Washington's 38th legislative district Washington's 38th legislative district is one of forty-nine electoral district, districts in Washington (state), Washington state for representation in the Washington State Legislature, state legislature. The district's legislators are state sena ...
from 2005 to 2011. Her career ended due to the
Moxie Media scandal The Moxie Media scandal was a 2010 political scandal in Washington state. In that year's state senate primary elections, small political consulting firm Moxie Media engaged in astroturfing that resulted in a surprise loss for incumbent Jean Berke ...
: in the 2010 primary election, her fellow
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 ...
,
Nick Harper Nick Harper (born 22 June 1965) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the son of English folk musician Roy Harper. Early life Harper was born in London, England, to the folk singer-songwriter Roy Harper. Nick tells of how he ...
, bankrolled ads for a third candidate in an effort to "Squeeze The Middle" and prevent the moderate incumbent Berkey from running in the general election. The state's election watchdog committee unanimously voted to refer the case to the state Attorney General
Rob McKenna Robert Marion McKenna (born October 1, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 17th attorney general of Washington from 2005 to 2013 after serving on the Metropolitan King County Council from 1996 to 2005. A member of the ...
, who promptly "filed suit, alleging multiple campaign-finance violations." Berkey placed third in the primary, and despite a call several former state senators to hold another election, was prevented from running in the general election per Washington state's 'top two' primary system. Her term ended in January 2011.


Political career

Berkey represented the 38th Legislative District for five years, first as representative and then as
senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
. The district includes Everett and Marysville. Berkey had been active in political and community activities in
Snohomish County, Washington Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 72nd-most populo ...
– serving as board member for a number of organizations including the Everett Senior Center, the Everett Medic One Foundation, United Way and the Everett Community College Board of Trustees. Berkey served as the vice-chair for both the Financial Institutions, Insurance & Consumer Protection Committee and the Government Operations & Elections Committee, and a member of the Early Education, K-12 and Higher Education Committee. In 2009, Berkey became the recipient of a Fuse "Fizzle" Award. Fuse's Sizzle (thumbs up) and Fizzle (thumbs down) awards program is aimed at promoting leadership and accountability in the Washington State Legislature.


Personal life

Born in
Loma Linda, California Loma Linda ( Spanish for "Beautiful Hill") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 24,791 at the 2020 census, up from 23,261 at the 2010 census. The central area of the ...
on August 21, 1938, Berkey moved to
Everett, Washington Everett (; ) is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the Seattle metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett ...
with her family when she was nine years old. She graduated from Everett High School and received an associate degree from
Everett Community College Everett Community College (EvCC) is a public community college in Everett, Washington. EvCC educates more than 19,000 students every year at locations throughout Snohomish County, Washington, with most students and faculty at the main campus in ...
. Berkey then received a BA in business from 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 ...
. Berkey worked at the General Telephone Company and was active in her labor union and in Democratic politics. Berkey and her husband Don lived in Everett for over 30 years. Berkey died at home on
Fidalgo Island Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass. The island is named afte ...
on August 21, 2013.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkey, Jean 1938 births 2013 deaths People from Loma Linda, California Politicians from Everett, Washington Democratic Party Washington (state) state senators University of Washington Foster School of Business alumni Everett Community College alumni Women state legislators in Washington (state) Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature 21st-century American women politicians