James Dwight Honeyford (born January 24, 1939) is an American politician of the Republican Party. He served as a 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 ...

, representing the 15th district between 1999 and 2023.

Early life and education

Honeyford was born in

Ontario, Oregon Ontario is the largest city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It lies along the Snake River at the Idaho border. The population was 11,366 at the 2010 census. The city is the largest community in the region of far eastern Oregon, also k ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and a Master of Education 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 Life ...

Career

From 1960 to 1965, Honeyford served as an officer in the

Ellensburg Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and was ...

Police Department. He also worked as a teacher, coach, and librarian in the

Ellensburg School District Ellensburg School District 401 is a public school district headquartered in Ellensburg, Washington. It serves the city of Ellensburg and surrounding areas. As of the 2022-2023 school year, the district has an enrollment of 3,250 students. The s ...

. Honeyford 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 ...

from 1995 to 1999 and the

from 1999 to 2023. In February 2011, Honeyford walked out on a legislative hearing in protest of "ghost bills" that are heard in committee, but not written until later. In September 2011, he was awarded the "Key Award" by the Washington Coalition for Open Government. On March 2, 2015, Seattle-based newspaper '' The Stranger'' reported that, during a committee hearing about a proposed racial impact statement bill, Honeyford shared his belief that "poor" and "colored" people were most likely to commit crimes.

Awards

* 2014 Guardians of Small Business award. Presented by NFIB.

References

Republican Party Washington (state) state senators Living people Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives Washington (state) city council members American municipal police officers Central Washington University alumni People from Ontario, Oregon 1939 births 21st-century American politicians {{Washington-politician-stub