Claudia Kauffman
Claudia Kauffman | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Washington Senate from the 47th district | |
| In office January 8, 2007 – January 10, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen L. Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Joe Fain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 15, 1959 Idaho, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Larry Cordier |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Kent, Washington |
| Profession | Small business owner |
Claudia G. Kauffman (born July 15, 1959)[1] is an American politician who served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 47th district from 2007 to 2011.[2] A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first Native American (Nez Perce) woman elected to the state senate.[3]
Biography[]
Kauffman was born in Idaho in 1959 to John and Josephine Kauffman. She was the youngest of seven children and moved with her family to the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle when she was an infant. She attended Cleveland High School and later studied at the University of Idaho and the Oglala Lakota College.[3]
Kauffman and her friend Iris Friday were influenced by "one legendary mentor" Bernie Whitebear who introduced Kauffman to the State Senate in the 1980s on visits to Olympia to lobby for local programs.[2] In 1999, as a private consultant to the Oglala Sioux tribe, she coordinating the visit of President Bill Clinton to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. In 2002, she and Friday, a member of the Tlingit tribe, founded the Native Action Network.[3]
In 2006, Kauffman defeated ex-Kent police chief Ed Crawford in the Senate primary and Republican Mike Riley, with 52 percent of the vote, in the general election. She focused on education and other issues. She was defeated after her first term in the November 2010 general election by Joe Fain, a former chief of staff to King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer.[3] In 2017 she lost a race for Seattle Port Commissioner Position 1.[4] In 2011, she was serving as the intergovernmental liaison for the Muckleshoot tribe and was living in Kent with her husband and three children.[3]
References[]
- ^ "Candidate: Claudia Kauffman". Our Campaigns. June 10, 2008. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
- ^ a b DeJesus, Thad, billie rain and Basil Shadid (co-writers), "Claudia Kauffman: Colors NW March Story" (video, 6:26 m.), Colors NW via YouTube via HistoryLink.org, March 7, 2007. Note: colorsnw.com (cited in video) is not active; www.colorsvamag.com gives history. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
- ^ a b c d e Kershner, Kate, "Kauffman, Claudia (b. 1959)", HistoryLink.org, October 17, 2011. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
- ^ "www.claudiaforport.com". Archived from the original on 2017-06-18. Retrieved 2017-07-20.[dead link]
External links[]
- Biography at HistoryLink
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Claudia Kauffman (WA) profile
- Follow the Money - Claudia Kauffman
- 2006 campaign contributions
- Washington Senate Democratic Caucus - Claudia Kauffman profile
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- 1959 births
- Living people
- Nez Perce people
- Native American state legislators in Washington (state)
- Native American women in politics
- People from Kent, Washington
- Washington (state) state senators
- Women state legislators in Washington (state)
- 21st-century American women
- Washington (state) politician stubs