Mathew Shon Manweller (born August 23, 1969) is an American political scientist and politician who served as a member of 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 ...

, representing the 13th Legislative District, from 2012 to 2019.

Education

Manweller earned a Bachelor of Arts from Whitman College, a Master of Arts from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

, and PhD from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Career

Manweller worked as a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

at Central Washington University. During his tenure in the

, Manweller was focused on creating a smaller, less expensive, more efficient government that provides solution-oriented leadership. Most recently his efforts prioritized the move against a state income tax, increasing funding for vocational education, reducing forest fires, and preventing school shootings. During his three terms, Matt Manweller was outspoken about controversial topics such as free speech on college campuses, bathroom bills, and the

Washington Supreme Court The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the ...

Central Washington University Sex Investigation

He was initially investigated by CWU in 2012, the year he was first elected to the legislature, on claims of sexual harassment by students while teaching. He obtained a restraining order against the university to prevent release of the 2012 report; the order was lifted four days before election day. In both 2012 and 2013, outside investigators concluded that there was "evidence to suggest" that Manweller violated the university's sexual-harassment policies. While the university did not punish him following the 2012 investigation, in 2013 Manweller's promotion to full professor was delayed and he was ordered to complete sexual harassment training. On December 11, 2017, Manweller was placed on administrative leave by Central Washington University, following additional complaints from ex-students. CWU investigated Manweller for "inappropriate conduct." The Seattle Times has additionally reported on a complaint from a Legislative Aide in

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

. On December 14, 2017 Manweller "resigned his leadership position" as assistant floor leader and was " 'removed' from his position as the Ranking Republican on the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee." Manweller filed for re-election in May 2018. Manweller’s employment as a tenured professor was terminated by Central Washington University on August 14, 2018 after an investigation by an independent third party hired by CWU to evaluate accusations of inappropriate behavior made by former students. On September 21, 2018, Manweller was asked by party leaders to resign his position in the Washington State House of Representatives after it became widely known that he had had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, a former high school student of his. In 2019, Manweller settled a wrongful termination lawsuit with Central Washington University for $155,000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manweller, Matt 1969 births Living people Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians People from Ellensburg, Washington