Frank J. Warnke (May 18, 1933 September 23, 2011) was an American politician of who served in both chambers of the

Washington State Legislature The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senat ...

Early life and education

A Native American, Warnke was born in

Harlem, Montana Harlem is a city in Blaine County, Montana, United States. The population was 769 at the 2020 census. The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is just south of the town, across the Milk River. Like other towns along the Hi-Line, Great Northern ...

and raised in

Auburn, Washington Auburn is a city in King County, Washington, United States (with a small portion crossing into neighboring Pierce County). The population was 87,256 at the 2020 Census. Auburn is a suburb in the Seattle metropolitan area, and is currently rank ...

. After graduating from Auburn High School, studied political science at

Central Washington University Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academic and Student Lif ...

and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. He later served in the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

and was stationed in

Ketchikan, Alaska Ketchikan ( ; tli, Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic District. With a population at the 20 ...

Career

After leaving the

, Warnke worked for

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

for 10 years. He was elected to the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

in 1964. Warnke served 12 years in the

for

Washington's 30th legislative district Washington's 30th legislative district is one of forty-nine electoral district, districts in Washington (state), Washington state for representation in the Washington State Legislature, state legislature. It is mostly in King County, Washington, ...

and eight years in the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympi ...

for

Washington's 31st legislative district Washington's 31st legislative district is one of forty-nine districts in Washington for representation in the state legislature. This district covers parts of southeastern King County,and parts of Pierce County, including the cities of Enumcl ...

. Warnke helped create the Public School Employees of Washington (PSE), a

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

for

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

employees Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

, and served 17 years as the organization's

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

. Warnke also drafted legislation to create the Auburn Game Farm Park in

Personal life

Warnke and his wife, Beverly, had two children. He died in

in 2011.

References

1933 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American legislators Democratic Party Washington (state) state senators Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives Native American state legislators in Washington (state) People from Blaine County, Montana People from Auburn, Washington 20th-century Washington (state) politicians {{Washington-politician-stub