Jean Louise Berkey (née Haskell; August 22, 1938 – August 21, 2013) was an American politician who served as a Washington State Senator from Washington's 38th legislative district from 2005 to 2011. Her career ended due to the

Moxie Media scandal The Moxie Media scandal was a 2010 political scandal in Washington state. In that year's state senate primary elections, small political consulting firm Moxie Media engaged in astroturfing that resulted in a surprise loss for incumbent Jean Berke ...

: in the 2010 primary election, her fellow

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Nick Harper Nick Harper (born 22 June 1965) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the son of English folk musician Roy Harper. Early life Harper was born in London, England, to the folk singer-songwriter Roy Harper. Nick tells of how he ...

, bankrolled ads for a third candidate in an effort to "Squeeze The Middle" and prevent the moderate incumbent Berkey from running in the general election. The state's election watchdog committee unanimously voted to refer the case to the state Attorney General Rob McKenna, who promptly "filed suit, alleging multiple campaign-finance violations." Berkey placed third in the primary, and despite a call several former state senators to hold another election, was prevented from running in the general election per Washington state's 'top two' primary system. Her term ended in January 2011.

Political career

Berkey represented the 38th Legislative District for five years, first as representative and then as

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. The district includes Everett and Marysville. Berkey had been active in political and community activities in

Snohomish County, Washington Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 75th-most populous ...

– serving as board member for a number of organizations including the Everett Senior Center, the Everett Medic One Foundation, United Way and the Everett Community College Board of Trustees. Berkey served as the vice-chair for both the Financial Institutions, Insurance & Consumer Protection Committee and the Government Operations & Elections Committee, and a member of the Early Education, K-12 and Higher Education Committee. In 2009, Berkey became the recipient of a Fuse "Fizzle" Award. Fuse's Sizzle (thumbs up) and Fizzle (thumbs down) awards program is aimed at promoting leadership and accountability in the Washington State Legislature.

Personal life

Born in

Loma Linda, California Loma Linda (Spanish for "Beautiful Hill") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 24,791 at the 2020 census, up from 23,261 at the 2010 census. The central area of the c ...

on August 21, 1938, Berkey moved to Everett, Washington with her family when she was nine years old. She graduated from Everett High School and received an associate degree from Everett Community College. Berkey then received a BA in business from the University of Washington. Berkey worked at the General Telephone Company and was active in her labor union and in Democratic politics. Berkey and her husband Don lived in Everett for over 30 years. Berkey died at home on Fidalgo Island on August 21, 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkey, Jean 1938 births 2013 deaths People from Loma Linda, California Politicians from Everett, Washington Democratic Party Washington (state) state senators University of Washington Foster School of Business alumni Everett Community College alumni Women state legislators in Washington (state) Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 21st-century American women