Ken Jacobsen (born May 2, 1945) is an American former politician who served as a Democratic member of 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 ...

. He was first elected to the Washington State Legislature in 1982 and he served through 2010.

Political history

He was elected to represent the 46th Legislative District in the Washington State House of Representatives in 1982 and was subsequently reelected for six more terms. He was appointed (and subsequently elected) to the State Senate in 1997, and served as Senator though 2010. He served as the Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman in 2003, the Majority Caucus Vice Chairman in 1999 and 2001, and he is a former chair of the House Higher Education Committee. He was the chair of the Senate Natural Resources, Oceans and Recreation Committee, and also served on the Transportation Committee, the Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee and the Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Committee.

District

In the State Senate, Jacobsen represented the Seattle neighborhoods of

Wedgwood Wedgwood is an English fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 May 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. It was rapid ...

, View Ridge, Sand Point,

Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...

, Northgate,

Maple Leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along the ...

, and Lake City.

Personal

Born in

Dannebrog, Nebraska Dannebrog is a village in Howard County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 303 at the 2010 census. History The first settlement at Dannebrog was made in 1871 by ...

, of "Postcard from Nebraska" fame and raised in northeast

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Senator Jacobsen enjoys bird watching, hummingbird and butterfly gardening. He has been married to Rachel Jacobsen, a teacher from New Zealand, since 1972. They have two daughters, Sonja (Wellesley College, 1999, University of Washington School of Law, 2007) and Kiri (Tulane University, 2000).

Recent awards and recognition

Glenn Galbreath Spirit Award, 2006; Stanley O. McNaughton Leadership Award, 2002; Survivors of the Holocaust Asset Recovery Project of Washington—Honorary Board Member; Northwest Dollars for Scholars Community Hero Award. Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire declared May 22, 2009 Ken Jacobsen day in the State of Washington.

Civic organizations

Board member of Scholarship America and Washington Dollars for Scholars; U.S. Foundation of the Universidad Del Valle de Guatemala; Friends of the University of Washington Library; Seattle Audubon Society; American Indian Endowment Committee; Ravenna & Thornton Creek Alliances'; Bring the Purple Martin Back to Seattle Committee; Education Advisory Committee Nordic Heritage Museum; Founder of the Annual Raoul Wallenberg Dinner. Lifelong member of the Disabled American Veterans.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobsen, Ken Living people Democratic Party Washington (state) state senators Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 1945 births University of Washington alumni