About Jay Inslee

Jay Inslee was born on February 9, 1951 in Seattle, WA. He grew up on the shores of Puget Sound, where his father, Frank, a biology teacher, and his mother, Adele, an artist and homemaker, taught him the value of our environment. Jay graduated from Ingraham High School, went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Washington, and eventually graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Willamette University School of Law in 1976. He then moved to eastern Washington and joined a small law firm in Selah, WA. During his 18 years there, Jay was a member of the New Valley Osteopathic Hospital Board of Directors, served as Selah’s prosecuting attorney, coached soccer, and raised hay and three sons with his wife, Trudi, on the four acres surrounding their old rural farmhouse.

Jay started his public career in Yakima by co-chairing a local school bond issue. Success of the school bond encouraged him to run for the Washington State Legislature, where as a Democrat he won twice in a Republican district before running for Congress in 1992. That year Inslee won another Republican seat by defeating Doc Hastings in Washington's 4th Congressional District. As an elected official in Eastern Washington, Inslee distinguished himself by working closely with his rural, agricultural based constituency. In Congress Inslee passed the Yakima River Enhancement Act, by successfully brokering an agreement between irrigators and wildlife advocates. He also helped to open Japanese markets to American apples, and helped to fund and oversee the nation's biggest nuclear waste site at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. After taking courageous votes for the Assault Weapons Ban and President Clinton's economic plan, in the face of intense opposition, Inslee lost his congressional seat in the Republican landslide of 1994. In 1998 Jay ran again for Congress, this time in the 1st Congressional District against incumbent Rick White. Jay is serving in his seventh Congressional term and is an active member of the Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources Committees. He was also appointed to the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

Since the election of George W. Bush to the White House, Jay has led efforts in the House to stop many of President Bush's policies. He voted against the war in Iraq because it was little more than a blank check justified by intelligence falsifications, was not convinced that George W. Bush was going to exhaust all diplomatic efforts, and was concerned that an invasion would result a costly, an protracted operation. Jay led the Congressional Iraq Watch, which has held over 25 vocal critiques on the House floor to hold the administration accountable on the House floor.

Jay has also been a consistent leader on the New Apollo Energy Project, an effort to make America the world leader in clean energy technologies, which will create millions of family waged, high trained jobs for Americans. In recent years, Jay has successfully incorporated some of his ideas from his New Apollo Energy Act into legislation moving through Congress, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Jay is an outspoken advocate for moving the United States towards energy independence to avoid national security threats, and he is a tireless advocate for policies that address the threat of global warming. Following the election of Barack Obama as President, Jay formed and Co-Chairs the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, a group of Members of Congress leading efforts to protect our environment and address the threat of global warming.

With new leadership in the White House, Jay will continue to be strong and effective champion of environmental protection, energy independence, responsible foreign policy, and fiscal discipline.

Inslee Family

Jay and his wife, Trudi became sweethearts at Ingraham High School where they met in 1966. Trudi went on to attend the Washington State University. In addition to her work with various local Bainbridge Island organizations, Trudi has served on the board of MAVIA (Mothers Against Violence in America) and is currently a member of the Pro-Choice Washington Foundation Board.

In addition to their service to the community, Jay and Trudi are especially proud of their three sons and their families. Jack, the oldest, who operates his own residential contracting company, Penguin Construction, is married to Megan who is a forensic scientist in the DNA unit of the Washington State Patrol Seattle Crime Laboratory. Jack and Megan have a son, Brody, born 11-28-08, and a godson, Keenan, who attends Bainbridge Island High School. Connor Inslee is the program coordinator for Outdoors for All Foundation based in Seattle. Their youngest son, Joe Inslee is currently living in Washington, DC where he works for NOAA in the Office of Response and Restoration. The Inslees enjoy outdoor activities, and some of Jay's favorites include kayaking, hiking and playing basketball.