Kent E. Pullen (May 4, 1942 – April 14, 2003) was a

Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

politician in the Republican party. Pullen held political office for over 30 years. In 1972 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 1974 he was elected to 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 ...

representing the 47th District, and re-elected in 1978, 1982, and 1986. In 1989 he was elected to the King County Council representing the 9th Council District, and re-elected in 1993, 1997, and 2001. Pullen supported labor, small government, low taxes,

private property Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property and personal property, which is owned by a state entity, and from collective or ...

rights, victims of crime, and natural medicine. He assisted in establishing the King County Natural Medicine Clinic in

Kent, Washington Kent is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest municipality in greater Seattle and t ...

, the first government-subsidized natural medicine clinic in the United States. He especially supported

gun rights The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, including securi ...

, and had the nickname of "pistol-packin' Pullen". In 1967, Pullen graduated from 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 ...

with a Ph.D. in

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. When the state legislature was not in session he worked at

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 ...

, and was a former councilman in the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA). Pullen was an avid

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

player, and tied for first place in the 1985 Washington State Chess Championship. Pullen was married for 39 years, and is survived by his wife Fay and two children, Kathy and Walter. After his death, the

King County King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

Regional Communication and Emergency Coordination Center (RCECC) was named after him.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pullen, Kent Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives Republican Party Washington (state) state senators King County Councillors Boeing people University of Washington alumni 1942 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American politicians