Jeffrey Robert Morris (born February 24, 1964) is an American 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 40th district from 1997 to 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, Morris was one of three self-identified American Indians, along with John McCoy ( Tulalip Tribes) and

Jay Rodne Jay Robert Rodne (born March 21, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician of the Republican Party. He is a former member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 5th Legislative District. Rodne is of Bad River Band of th ...

( Bad River Band of Chippewa), in the Washington State Legislature.

Early life and education

Jeff Morris is a fourth-generation native of

Guemes Island Guemes Island is a small island in western Skagit County, Washington, United States. It is located north of Fidalgo Island and the city of Anacortes, and is accessible by private boat and by the Guemes Island ferry operated by Skagit County. ...

. He also lived in Anacortes, Washington, where he graduated Anacortes High School in 1982. He graduated from

Central Washington University Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academic and Student Lif ...

Career

Based in Anacortes, Morris became active in the Democratic Party and successfully ran for the state House of Representatives in 1996 to represent the 40th Legislative District. Repeatedly re-elected, he served as chairman of the Technology and Economic Development Committee and is also a member of the Environment and Transportation committees. He has previously served as speaker pro tempore, House floor leader, and chairman of the Finance and Technology, Energy, and Communications committees. Morris served on the executive committee of the

National Conference of State Legislatures The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), established in 1975, is a "nonpartisan public officials’ association composed of sitting state legislators" from the states, territories and commonwealths of the United States. Background ...

and is the past chairman of the Council of State Governments-West and past president of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region. He retired mid-term in 2020 to take a job in the private sector, and activist

Alex Ramel Alexander W. Ramel (born 1977) is an American politician and activist serving as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 40th district, which includes San Juan County and portions of Whatcom and Skagit Counties. Early li ...

was appointed to serve for the remainder of his term.

References

External links

Legislative biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Jeff 1964 births Living people 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans Central Washington University alumni Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives Native American state legislators in Washington (state) People from Anacortes, Washington People from Mount Vernon, Washington Tsimshian people