Jennifer Dunn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office July 17, 1997 – January 3, 1999 | |
| Leader | Newt Gingrich |
| Preceded by | Susan Molinari |
| Succeeded by | Tillie Fowler |
| Secretary of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office January 3, 1997 – July 17, 1997 | |
| Leader | Newt Gingrich |
| Preceded by | Barbara Vucanovich |
| Succeeded by | Tillie Fowler |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's8th district | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Rod Chandler |
| Succeeded by | Dave Reichert |
| Chair of theWashington Republican Party | |
| In office January 1, 1981 – January 1, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Ken Eikenberry |
| Succeeded by | Ben Bettridge |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jennifer Jill Blackburn (1941-07-29)July 29, 1941 Seattle,Washington, U.S. |
| Died | September 5, 2007(2007-09-05) (aged 66) Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Dennis Dunn (1965–1977) Keith Thomson (2003–2007) |
| Children | 2, includingReagan |
| Education | University of Washington Stanford University (BA) |
| Occupation | Engineer |
Jennifer Jill Dunn (néeBlackburn; July 29, 1941 – September 5, 2007)[1] was an American politician and engineer who served six terms as aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2005, representingWashington's 8th congressional district.
Born inSeattle, Washington, Dunn grew up in the nearby city ofBellevue, and graduated fromBellevue High School in 1959. She attended theUniversity of Washington, where she was a member ofGamma Phi Betasorority,[2] before earning a Bachelor of Arts fromStanford University. After graduation, she worked as asystems engineer. She was a distant cousin of congressmanSlade Gorton.[3]
Dunn was chair of theWashington State Republican Party from 1981 to 1992 and twice a delegate to theUnited Nations Commission on the Status of Women (1984 and 1990).
In 1992, she ran for an open seat in the House, winning 60 percent of the vote. She was Washington's only Republican representative until theRepublican 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 ofHouse Majority Leader.[4]
Dunn served as vice-chair of the Select Committee onHomeland Security and served on theHouse Ways and Means Committee and theJoint Economic Committee. On October 10, 2002, Dunn voted in favor of authorizing theWar in Iraq.[5]
In 2000, she served on the presidential electionexploratory committee for then-Texas GovernorGeorge W. Bush.
Dunn announced in 2004 she would retire from Congress, choosing not to run for re-election. Her seat was eventually filled by King County SheriffDave Reichert. She co-chaired theInformation Technology and Innovation Foundation with former RepresentativeCalvin Dooley. She also served as co-chair of the campaign organization "Women for Mitt" for presidential candidateMitt Romney at the time of her death in 2007. She was succeeded in the Romney organization by U.S. RepresentativeKay Granger ofFort Worth, Texas.[citation needed]
Dunn has two children, includingReagan Dunn, an attorney and politician who has served as a member of theKing County Council since 2005.[6]
Dunn collapsed and died of apulmonary embolism in 2007, in herAlexandria, Virginia, apartment.[7] Her memorial service was held atSt. James Cathedral, Seattle.[8]
| 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% |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's 8th congressional district 1993–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of the House Republican Conference 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice Chairperson of the House Republican Conference 1997–1999 | |
| Preceded by | Response to the State of the Union address 1999 Served alongside:Steve Largent | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
