Slade Gorton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the senator; Slade Gorton (born 1832), who co-founded Gorton's of Gloucester was an ancestor of the senator.
| Slade Gorton | |
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| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Warren G. Magnuson |
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| Succeeded by | Brock Adams |
| In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Dan Evans |
| Succeeded by | Maria Cantwell |
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| Born | January 8, 1928 Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Sally Jean Clark |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Thomas Slade Gorton III (born January 8, 1928) is an American politician. A Republican, he was a U.S. senator from Washington state from 1981 until 1987, and then from 1989 until 2001. He held both of the state's Senate seats in his career and was defeated for reelection twice as an incumbent; in 1986 by Brock Adams, and in 2000 by Maria Cantwell.
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[edit] Background
Gorton was born in Chicago, Illinois and served in the United States Army from 1945 until 1946. He then attended and graduated from Dartmouth College. He graduated from Columbia Law School, and served in the United States Air Force from 1953 until 1956, continuing to serve in the Air Force reserves until 1980. Meanwhile, he practiced law, and entered politics in 1958, being elected to the state legislature of Washington, in which he served from 1959 until 1969, becoming one of the highest-ranking members. He was then Attorney General of Washington from 1969 until he entered the United States Senate in 1981. During his three terms as Attorney General, Gorton was recognized for taking the unusual step of appearing personally to argue the state's positions before the Supreme Court of The United States and for prevailing in those efforts. In 1980 he defeated longtime incumbent U.S. Senator and state legend Warren Magnuson on Ronald Reagan's coattails and an "it's time for a change" ad campaign.
[edit] 1988 Election
After his 1986 defeat, he ran for the state's other Senate seat (open at the time) in 1988 and won.
In the Senate, Gorton had a moderate-to-conservative voting record, and was derided for what some perceived as strong hostility towards Indian tribes. His reelection strategy centered on running up high vote totals in areas outside of left-leaning King County (home to Seattle).
[edit] 1994 Election
In 1994 he repeated the process. During his tenure in the Senate, Gorton was known as a quietly influential Senator. Though he preferred to avoid media exposure, he had significant clout with his peers because of his extensive knowledge of the law down to the most arcane and minute detail. He was also an influential member of the Armed Services Committee as he was the only member of the committee during his tenure to have reached a senior command rank in the uniformed services (USAF).
He campaigned in Oregon for Gordon Smith and his successful 1996 Senate run. During his visit to Churchill High School in Eugene, OR he was struck with a paper clip while Senator Smith was making a speech.
[edit] 2000 Election
In 2000, Democrat Maria Cantwell turned his "it's time for a change" strategy against him and due to the strength of her huge vote margins in the King County area, won an upset victory by around 2,000 votes. Many pundits have argued that this was the first year of irregularities in King County voting records, and were repeated in 2004 when Chris Gregoire finally found enough votes on a third recount to beat Dino Rossi for Washington Governor.
[edit] Post-Senate years
In 2002, Gorton became a member of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (popularly known as the "9/11 Commission") and the commission issued its final report in 2004. [1]
In 2005, Gorton became the Chairman of the center-right Constitutional Law PAC, a political action committee formed to help elect candidates to the Washington State Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.
Gorton is an Advisory Board member for the Partnership for a Secure America, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy.
Gorton is trying to keep the Seattle Sonics in Seattle and is the prosecutor in a lawsuit against Clayton Bennett who wants to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City before the Key Arena lease expires in 2010.
[edit] External links
- Slade Gorton profile, NNDB.
- Congressional Bio
- Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP ("K&L Gates") Lawyer Bio
| Preceded by John J. O'Connell |
Attorney General of Washington 1969–1981 |
Succeeded by Ken Eikenberry |
| Preceded by Warren Magnuson |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Washington 1981–1987 Served alongside: Henry M. Jackson, Daniel J. Evans |
Succeeded by Brock Adams |
| Preceded by Dan Evans |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Washington 1989–2001 Served alongside: Brock Adams, Patty Murray |
Succeeded by Maria Cantwell |
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