Jay Inslee was born on February 9, 1951 in Seattle. He grew up on the shores of Puget Sound, where his father, Frank, a biology teacher, taught him the value of our environment. Jay Inslee 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 has used his legal expertise not only to succeed in private practice but also to serve the local community in a variety of ways from serving as the chair of school board campaigns to serving as a member of New Valley Osteopathic Hospital Board of Directors. He was a small-town prosecuting attorney in Selah, WA, from 1976 to 1992.
Jay met his wife, Trudi, at Ingraham high school, and they are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary this year. Trudi attended Washington State University. The Inslees have three children: Jack, age 27, who is a carpenter (Jack is married to Megan); Connor, age 25, who is a student at Seattle Community College; and Joe, age 17, a high school soccer and lacrosse player. The Inslees enjoy outdoor activities, and some of Jay's favorites include kayaking and playing basketball.
Jay Inslee is one of the strongest fighters against George Bush's preemptive war in Iraq, escalation of the federal deficit, and rollback of environmental protections.
Jay Inslee started his public career in Yakima by getting involved in a local school bond issue. Success of the school bond encouraged him to run for the Washington State Legislature, where 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. After taking courageous votes for the Assault Weapons Ban and President Clinton's economic plan, in the face of intense opposition, Inslee lost 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 won, and has been serving Washington state in that capacity ever since.
Jay's track record in Congress reflects an unparalleled commitment to financial privacy, environmental issues, public education, work-place protections, and technological innovation.
Since the election of George W. Bush to the White House, Jay has lead 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, and he voted against the $87 billion reconstruction package because it was fiscally reckless and did not adequately support our troops. Jay continues to lead 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 is the Congressional 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. He 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.
On the environment, Jay is widely recognized by his colleagues as a national leader in protecting our clean air, water, and pristine national forests. His record has not gone unappreciated--the League of Conservation Voters has twice recognized him as an "Environmental Champion" and the Sierra Club has given him a "100 percent" environmental rating. Jay is the prime sponsor of the Roadless Protection Rule and has passed amendments to stop Bush's anti-environment policies, including: stopping the weakening of mining regulations that protect clean water; stopping the Bush administration from changing the definition of High-level Radioactive Waste to avoid nuclear clean-up; restoring cuts in EPA enforcement personnel; stopping the roll-back of grazing regulations that already cost taxpayer millions; and stopping the administration from allowing arsenic in our drinking water.
Jay is an active supporter of a women's right to choose; he opposes amending the U.S. constitution to ban gay marriage.
From the administration's deficit spending to its rollback of our media ownership rules to the Republican attempts to privatize Medicare and Social Security, Jay Inslee has been there to stand up for the greater good of America, not the interests of a select few.
Jay graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Economics, and from Willamatte University School of Law with a Doctor of Jurisprudence.