Don Bonker
Encyclopedia
Don Leroy Bonker is an American
former congressman for the state of Washington and a Democrat
. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives
from 1975 to 1989, representing Washington's third Congressional district
.
He is a resident of Bainbridge Island, Washington
.
Bonker attended public schools in Westminster, Colorado
. He received his Associate of Arts degree from Clark College
in Vancouver, Washington
, in 1962; his Bachelor of Arts from Lewis & Clark College
in Portland, Oregon
, in 1964; and completed graduate work at American University
in Washington, D.C. Bonker served in the United States Coast Guard
as first class yeoman from 1955 to 1959.
He served as aide to United States Senator Maurine Brown Neuberger
from 1964 to 1965, Clark County auditor in Vancouver
from 1966 to 1974, and as a delegate to Washington State Democratic conventions from 1968 to 1970.
Bonker ran for Washington Secretary of State in 1972, but was defeated by incumbent Republican
Lud Kramer
. Bonker was elected as a moderate Democrat to the 94th
and to the six succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1975–January 3, 1989). He did not run for reelection in 1988 so he could run for nomination to the United States Senate
, where he narrowly lost in the primary to Democrat Mike Lowry
, who was defeated in the general election by Republican Slade Gorton
. In 1992, Bonker again ran for a U.S. Senate seat, but was defeated in the primary by the eventual winner, Democratic Senator Patty Murray
. In 2000, he ran for Secretary Of State again, winning the party nomination in the primary, but losing in the general to Sam Reed
.
During his time in the House, Bonker was a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
and chairman of the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade. He also served on the President's Export Council and headed former House Speaker Tip O'Neill
's Trade Task Force, which led to passage of the 1988 Omnibus Trade Act. During his tenure in Congress, Bonker authored and was a principal sponsor of significant trade legislation, such as the Export Trading Company Act and the Export Administration Act.
He helped establish the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge
and the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
, added Protection Island
to the National Wildlife Refuge
system, preserved the Point of Arches in the Olympic National Park
, added 250,000 acres (1000 km²) to the 1984 Washington Wilderness Act, and banned the export of Western Redcedar
.
Bonker is now the president and CEO of the International Management and Development Institute, on the board of the Foundation for U.S.-Russia Business Cooperation, and is executive vice president of APCO Worldwide
(http://www.apcoworldwide.com/).
In 2009, Bonker was the target of significant criticism by Democrats for endorsing Republican Susan Hutchison
for King County Executive against Democratic favorite and eventual winner Dow Constantine
.
He is the author of America's Trade Crisis, published by Houghton Mifflin, and is a writer and speaker on U.S. trade policy. His monthly column on trade policy appears in a number of newspapers around the country.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former congressman for the state of Washington and a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1975 to 1989, representing Washington's third Congressional district
Washington's 3rd congressional district
Washington's 3rd congressional district encompasses the southernmost portion of Western Washington, from Olympia south to the Columbia River. It includes the counties of Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, and Clark, and the majority of Thurston and Skamania counties...
.
He is a resident of Bainbridge Island, Washington
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Bainbridge Island is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, and the name of the island in Puget Sound on which the city is situated...
.
Bonker attended public schools in Westminster, Colorado
Westminster, Colorado
Westminster is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Westminster is a northwest suburb of Denver. The Westminster Municipal Center is located north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol. The United States Census Bureau that the city population...
. He received his Associate of Arts degree from Clark College
Clark College (Washington)
Clark College is a community college located in Vancouver, Washington.The college, which celebrated its 75th anniversary on October 1, 2008, was founded as a private, two-year, junior college in 1933...
in Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
, in 1962; his Bachelor of Arts from Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, in 1964; and completed graduate work at American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
in Washington, D.C. Bonker served in the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
as first class yeoman from 1955 to 1959.
He served as aide to United States Senator Maurine Brown Neuberger
Maurine Brown Neuberger
Maurine Brown Neuberger was an United States senator for the State of Oregon from November 1960 to January 1967. She was the fourth woman elected to the United States Senate and the tenth woman to serve in the body. She and her husband, Richard L. Neuberger, are regarded as the Senate's first...
from 1964 to 1965, Clark County auditor in Vancouver
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
from 1966 to 1974, and as a delegate to Washington State Democratic conventions from 1968 to 1970.
Bonker ran for Washington Secretary of State in 1972, but was defeated by incumbent Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Lud Kramer
Lud Kramer
A. Ludlow Kramer was best known as a United States politician, serving as a Seattle City councillor and as Secretary of State of Washington .- Career :He later served in the U.S...
. Bonker was elected as a moderate Democrat to the 94th
94th United States Congress
The Ninety-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1977, during the administration...
and to the six succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1975–January 3, 1989). He did not run for reelection in 1988 so he could run for nomination to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, where he narrowly lost in the primary to Democrat Mike Lowry
Mike Lowry
Michael Edward "Mike" Lowry served as the 20th Governor of the U.S. state of Washington from 1993 to 1997. Lowry is a Democrat.Lowry was born and raised in St. John, Washington, and graduated from Washington State University in 1962...
, who was defeated in the general election by Republican Slade Gorton
Slade Gorton
Thomas Slade Gorton III is an American politician. A Republican, he was a U.S. senator from Washington state from 1981 to 1987, and from 1989 to 2001. He held both of the state's Senate seats in his career and was narrowly defeated for reelection twice as an incumbent: in 1986 by Brock Adams, and...
. In 1992, Bonker again ran for a U.S. Senate seat, but was defeated in the primary by the eventual winner, Democratic Senator Patty Murray
Patty Murray
Patricia Lynn "Patty" Murray is the senior United States Senator from Washington and a member of the Democratic Party. Murray was first elected to the Senate in 1992, becoming Washington's first female senator...
. In 2000, he ran for Secretary Of State again, winning the party nomination in the primary, but losing in the general to Sam Reed
Sam Reed
Sam Reed is the Secretary of State of Washington and a Republican. Reed is Washington's fourteenth Secretary of State.Reed received his bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from Washington State University...
.
During his time in the House, Bonker was a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
United States House Committee on International Relations
The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives which has jurisdiction over bills and investigations related to the foreign affairs of the United States...
and chairman of the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade. He also served on the President's Export Council and headed former House Speaker Tip O'Neill
Tip O'Neill
Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. was an American politician. O'Neill was an outspoken liberal Democrat and influential member of the U.S. Congress, serving in the House of Representatives for 34 years and representing two congressional districts in Massachusetts...
's Trade Task Force, which led to passage of the 1988 Omnibus Trade Act. During his tenure in Congress, Bonker authored and was a principal sponsor of significant trade legislation, such as the Export Trading Company Act and the Export Administration Act.
He helped establish the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...
and the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is a U.S. National Monument that includes the area around Mount St. Helens in Washington. It was established on August 27, 1982 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan following the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The 110,000 acre National Volcanic...
, added Protection Island
Protection Island (Washington)
Protection Island is an island lying in the Strait of Juan de Fuca just north of Discovery Bay in northeastern Jefferson County, Washington, USA. The island has a land area of 1.534 km² . It is a Federally-protected National Wildlife Refuge; boats are not permitted within 200 yards for the...
to the National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...
system, preserved the Point of Arches in the Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. state of Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park can be divided into four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. U.S...
, added 250,000 acres (1000 km²) to the 1984 Washington Wilderness Act, and banned the export of Western Redcedar
Thuja plicata
Thuja plicata, commonly called Western or pacific red cedar, giant or western arborvitae, giant cedar, or shinglewood, is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae native to western North America...
.
Bonker is now the president and CEO of the International Management and Development Institute, on the board of the Foundation for U.S.-Russia Business Cooperation, and is executive vice president of APCO Worldwide
APCO Worldwide
APCO Worldwide is an independent communications consultancy. With more than 600 employees in 29 worldwide locations, it is the second largest independently-owned PR firm in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO was founded in 1984 by Margery Kraus, who is now the firm’s global...
(http://www.apcoworldwide.com/).
In 2009, Bonker was the target of significant criticism by Democrats for endorsing Republican Susan Hutchison
Susan Hutchison
Susan Hutchison is a former television news anchor and political candidate in Seattle, Washington. She is the Executive Director of the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences. Hutchison's twenty-five year career as a journalist began at KITV news in Honolulu and continued at KIRO-TV...
for King County Executive against Democratic favorite and eventual winner Dow Constantine
Dow Constantine
Dow Constantine is an American politician in the state of Washington where he currently serves as King County Executive, an office he has held since November 2009. He was previously in the state legislature and on the King County Council, chairing the latter before his election as Executive...
.
He is the author of America's Trade Crisis, published by Houghton Mifflin, and is a writer and speaker on U.S. trade policy. His monthly column on trade policy appears in a number of newspapers around the country.