Ralph Davies Munro (June 25, 1943 – March 20, 2025) was an American Republican politician who served as the 13th

Secretary of State of Washington The secretary of state of Washington is an independently elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Washington. Fifteen individuals have held the office of Secretary of State since statehood. Th ...

. First elected in 1980, he served five terms.

Life and career

Munro was born on June 25, 1943, 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 ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, and grew up on Bainbridge Island. He was a graduate of

Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...

and held a B.A. in Education and Political Science. Munro's first job with the state was as a supply clerk working in the basement of the Legislative Building.

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Daniel J. Evans appointed Munro as the state's first volunteer coordinator in 1969. Munro was a member of the bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, and strongly advocated for expanding vote-by-mail. In 2022, Munro was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon in recognition of "his contributions in promoting regional exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States." He died in

Lacey, Washington Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Olympia, Washington, Olympia with a population of 53,526 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Washington, 24th mos ...

, on March 20, 2025, at the age of 81.Remembering Ralph Munro, five-term Washington secretary of state and statesman
/ref>

References

Sources

* The Legacy Project, Office of the Secretary of State: "History Makers Details on Ralph Munro" * The Seattle Times, December 29, 2000: "Ralph Munro leaving a career carved in stone"; * Governor's news release, September 25, 2009: "Gov. Gregoire appoints Ralph Munro to WWU board of trustees"; * Puget Sound Business Journal, May 9, 2008: "Mud Bay archeological site has profound lessons for Ralph and Karen Munro" * Puget Sound Energy, press release June 3, 2008: "PSE recognizes Karen and Ralph Munro with 2008 Pioneer Award"

External links

*

The Seattle Times, December 29, 2000:"Ralph Munro leaving a career carved in stone"

Washington's Secretaries of State - Past and Present: Ralph Munro

Ralph Munro: Disability Rights Pioneer

Clan Munro biography
1943 births 2025 deaths Western Washington University alumni Secretaries of state of Washington (state) 20th-century Washington (state) politicians Washington (state) Republicans Politicians from Seattle Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class {{Washington-politician-stub