Tuesday, January 24, 2017

40 Years Ago-Washington Swears In It's First Female Governor

I had meant to post about this last November thinking the first woman president would be elected.  Dixie Lee Ray was Washington's first female governor and the second woman governor in the nation elected without succeeding her husband. She took office 40 years ago this month.
 Ironically, although a Democrat, Ray seems to have had more in common with Donald Trump than Hilary Clinton.  She was a non politician who ran against many polished candidates.  She was opposed by every newspaper in the state.  She had a hostile relationship with the press.  In addition, she sought to reverse environmental laws, wanted super tankers in Puget Sound, and was an unabashed supporter of nuclear power.
Ray was a marine biologist by trade. She was an associate professor at the University Of Washington.
She had served on the Atomic Energy Commission as part of the Nixon Administration.
Ray's birth name was Marguerite, but changed her name in honor of Robert E. Lee, something that may not fly today.  She legally changed it to Dixie Lee Ray.

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