Kent Pullen Explained

Kent Pullen
Office:Chair of the King County Council
Term Start:January 1, 1994
Term End:January 1, 1996
Predecessor:Audrey Gruger
Successor:Jane Hague
Office1:Member of King County Council
from the 9th district
Termstart1:January 1, 1990
Termend1:April 14, 2003
Predecessor1:Gary Grant
Successor1:Steve Hammond
State Senate2:Washington
District2:47th
Term Start2:January 13, 1975
Term End2:January 2, 1990
Predecessor2:Martin Durkan
Successor2:Michael E. Patrick
State House3:Washington
District3:47th
Term Start3:January 8, 1973
Term End3:January 13, 1975
Predecessor3:Gary Grant
Successor3:Marion Kyle Sherman
Birth Date:4 May 1942
Birth Place:New Mexico, U.S.
Party:Republican

Kent E. Pullen (May 4, 1942 – April 14, 2003) was a Washington state politician in the Republican party.

Pullen held political office for over 30 years. In 1972 he was elected to the Washington House of Representatives. In 1974 he was elected to the Washington State Senate 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.[1]

Pullen supported labor, small government, low taxes, private property rights, victims of crime, and natural medicine.[2] He assisted in establishing the King County Natural Medicine Clinic in Kent, Washington, the first government-subsidized natural medicine clinic in the United States.[3] He especially supported gun rights, and had the nickname of "pistol-packin' Pullen".[4]

In 1967, Pullen graduated from the University of Washington with a Ph.D. in Chemistry. When the state legislature was not in session he worked at Boeing, and was a former councilman in the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA). Pullen was an avid chess player, and tied for first place in the 1985 Washington State Chess Championship.[5]

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 Regional Communication and Emergency Coordination Center (RCECC) was named after him.[6]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kent Pullen. kentpullen.com. 2016-06-20.
  2. Web site: HistoryLink.org- the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History. historylink.org. 2016-06-20.
  3. News: Seattle Area Giving Natural Medicine A Chance to Come In From theFringe - NYTimes.com. The New York Times. 3 January 1996 . 2016-06-20 . Egan . Timothy .
  4. Web site: Local News | Kent Pullen Pulls No Punches -- Pistol-Packin' Days Gone, But Councilman's Still Hard To Corral | Seattle Times Newspaper. community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. 2016-06-20.
  5. Web site: WA State Chess Champions. nwchess.com. 2016-06-20.
  6. Web site: Council Renames Regional Communications and Emergency Coordination Center in honor of Kent Pullen . 2013-09-18 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20030805172644/http://www.metrokc.gov/mkcc/News/2003/0703/DC_SH_pullen_rcecc.htm . August 5, 2003 .