Warren Grant Magnuson

U.S. Senator, U.S. Congressman, Politician, Lawyer. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1944 representing Washington's 1st Congressional District, and as a member of the United States Senate from 1944 to 1981. He was the longest-serving senator in Washington state history, serving for over 36 years. He was a graduate of the University of North Dakota, North Dakota State College and the University of Washington School of Law. From 1933 to 1934, he served as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives, and from 1934 to 1936 as King County Prosecuting Attorney. During World War II (WWII), he fought in the Pacific Theater on board the aircraft carrier "USS Enterprise," rising to the rank of lieutenant commander. In 1944, he was appointed by Washington Governor Arthur B. Langlie to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat of Homer T. Bone , who had been appointed to fill a position on the U.S. Court of Appeals. A strong advocate of U.S.-Chinese relations and trade, he helped establish the first working dialogue with the People's Republic of China following the 1949 revolution, paving the way for President Richard M. Nixon 's historic visit to the communist mainland in 1972. He was a member of the powerful United States Senate Committee on Appropriations, where he served as the committee's chairman from 1977 to 1981, and President pro tempore of the Senate from 1979 to 1981. As head of the Appropriations Committee, he exerted enormous powers in acquiring technological, industrial and military contracts for the citizens of Washington State. Working in conjunction with fellow Washington Democrat Henry M. Jackson , the two became one of the most influential, successful and powerful teams in the history of the United States Senate. During his tenure in the Senate, he also served as chairman of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee from 1955 to 1961, the Commerce Committee from 1961 to 1977, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee from 1977 to 1978 and as a member of the Naval Affairs Committee. In 1980, he was defeated for re-election by Republican challenger Slade Gorton . Following his Senate defeat, he returned to Seattle where he set up a private legal practice which he ran until his death. Following his death, the health science complex located on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle was renamed the Warren G. Magnuson Health Sciences Center in his honor as well as the establishment of Magnuson Park, a recreational area located along Seattle's Lake Washington in 1977.