Jennifer Emerson Belcher (née Marion; January 4, 1944 – March 31, 2022) was an American politician who was the first woman to serve as Washington commissioner of public lands from 1993 to 2001. Belcher previously represented the 22nd district in the Washington House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993. Her major legislative achievements include subsidizing childcare for state employees and furthering equal pay for women in state government. As commissioner of public lands, she oriented the Washington State Department of Natural Resources toward conservation.

Early life and education

Belcher was born Jennifer Emerson Marion on January 4, 1944 in

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. This city is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology or West Virginia University, Beckley Campus. ...

, one of six children. According to her sister, their father was a truck driver for Kroger and a member of the Teamsters, even serving as president of his local union, and their mother was a homemaker and early adopter of recycling. Both were Democrats and environmentalists. Belcher attended Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia, for one year.

Career

Belcher started in politics as a political aide to Governors Dan Evans and

Dixy Lee Ray Dixy Lee Ray (September 3, 1914 – January 2, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 17th governor of Washington from 1977 to 1981. Variously described as idiosyncratic and "ridiculously smart," she was the state's first female gover ...

from 1973 to 1979.

State House of Representatives

Belcher first won election to the House in the 1982 election, taking her seat in 1983. Her leadership positions included stints as chair of the State Government Committee (1985–1986), Natural Resources (later Natural Resources and Parks) committee (1989–1992), and vice-chair of the Labor Committee (1983–1984). Her major legislative achievements include subsidizing childcare for state employees and furthering equal pay for women in state government. She also worked on bills related to strip searches, minimum pay and farm labor standards,

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

, and urban growth management.

Commissioner of public lands

In 1992, Belcher ran successfully for commissioner of public lands, defeating Republican Ann Anderson to become the first woman to hold that office. She swept into office as part of an unprecedented wave of women winning office in Washington, including Christine Gregoire, Deborah Senn, Judith Billings, and Washington's first female senator, Patty Murray. As commissioner, Belcher ran the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, overseeing over five million acres of state-owned lands and shorelands, as well as various scientific, land management, and environmental restoration programs and related law enforcement functions. In this role, Belcher hired the state's first female state forester, Kaleen Cottingham. The change Belcher brought and embodied was not always welcome. For example, Cottingham recalled seeing a sign taped up in a DNR men's bathroom: "Will the last white man leaving the natural resources building please put down the toilet lid.” Regardless, Belcher instituted significant changes in her time at DNR. Perhaps her "crowning achievement" was finalization in 1997 of a 50-year Habitat Conservation Plan under the federal

Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of ec ...

, governing management of Washington's

state trust lands State trust lands were granted by the United States Congress to states upon entering the Union. These lands were designated to support essential public institutions which are primarily public schools. State trust land managers lease and sell these ...

. In 2000, Belcher decided not to run for a third term so that she could return to West Virginia to care for her parents, who had health issues. Belcher endorsed former Governor Mike Lowry in his bid to succeed her in the 2000 election. Despite his wide name recognition, solid environmental record, and Belcher's endorsement, Lowry lost to Republican Pierce County Executive Doug Sutherland, who succeeded Belcher in 2001.

Career outside politics

Belcher lived in Olympia, Washington and worked as a state employee and as president of Management Dynamics, which advised growing businesses.

Death and legacy

After a long illness, Belcher died on March 31, 2022, at the age of 78. One obituary described Belcher's leadership of the DNR as "transformational", both in who was hired and in the department's policies. Leading forest ecologist Jerry Franklin called her "a revolutionary" for changing the DNR's direction with respect to ecological conservation and species protection.

References

External links

Habitat Conservation on State Trust Lands
Washington Department of Natural Resources. {{DEFAULTSORT:Belcher, Jennifer 1944 births 2022 deaths Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives Women state legislators in Washington (state) Washington (state) Commissioners of Public Lands People from Olympia, Washington Politicians from Beckley, West Virginia Bethany College (West Virginia) alumni