Dave Upthegrove
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Dave Upthegrove
| image = File:Dave Upthegrove (18653999254).jpg
| caption = Upthegrove in 2013
| office = 17th Public Lands Commissioner of Washington
| governor = Bob Ferguson
| term_start = January 15, 2025
| term_end =
| predecessor = Hilary Franz
| successor =
| office1 = Member of King County Council
from the 5th district
| term_start1 = January 1, 2014
| term_end1 = January 15, 2025
| predecessor1 = Julia Patterson
| successor1 = Vacant
| state_house2 = Washington
| district2 = 33rd
| term_start2 = January 7, 2002
| term_end2 = December 15, 2013
| predecessor2 = Karen Keiser
| successor2 = Mia Gregerson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|5|3}}
| birth_place = Burien, Washington, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Democratic
| spouse = Chad
| education = University of Colorado, Boulder (BA)
University of Idaho (GrCert)
| website = {{url|kingcounty.gov/council/upthegrove.aspx|County Council website}}
}}
David Upthegrove (born May 3, 1971) is an American politician who is currently serving as the 17th Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands since 2025. He previously was a member of the King County Council, representing the 5th district from 2014 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 33rd district from 2002 to 2013.[http://blogs.seattletimes.com/politicsnorthwest/2013/11/05/open-seat-among-todays-races-for-king-county-council/ "Dunn, Dembowski, Upthegrove leading in King County Council races; Constantine headed for second term"]. Seattle Times, November 5, 2013.
Upthegrove was elected as Commissioner of Public Lands for Washington in 2024, beating Republican candidate Jaime Herrera Beutler in the closest statewide race of the year.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-07 |title=Upthegrove elected WA lands commissioner |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/upthegrove-elected-wa-lands-commissioner/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}
Early life and education
Dave Upthegrove is a descendant of the German Op den Graeff family of Dutch origin.Prof. William I. Hull: William Penn and the Dutch Quaker Migration to Pennsylvania
(2018) He is a direct descendant of Herman op den Graeff, Mennonite leader of Krefeld, and his grandson Abraham op den Graeff, one of the founders of Germantown and in 1688, signer of the first protest against slavery in colonial America.
Dave Upthegrove was born and raised in King County, Washington, and attended Lakeside School in Seattle. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental conservation from the University of Colorado Boulder and a graduate certificate in energy policy planning from the University of Idaho.{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=51521|title=Project Vote Smart: Rep. Dave Upthegrove|accessdate=2008-07-28}}
Career
Upthegrove was appointed to the Washington House of Representatives in January 2002 and was elected to a two-year term in November 2002. He was then re-elected at two-year intervals until running for King County Council.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}
While serving in the Washington House of Representatives, Upthegrove was chair of the Environment Committee and also served on the Local Government and Transportation Committee. He is a former chair of the Select Committee on Puget Sound. He has been involved in education policy, sponsoring and passing legislation to improve the teaching of civics and to better meet the needs of recent immigrant students. The Washington Conservation Voters called Upthegrove "a leader on environmental issues and a rising star in the House." Upthegrove led high-profile environmental initiatives to clean up Puget Sound and to clean up soil at schools and day cares contaminated by a local Asarco copper smelter.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}
Upthegrove was elected to the King County Council in 2013 from District 5, which encompasses the southern suburbs of Seattle, including SeaTac, Kent, and Des Moines.{{cite news |last=Gutman |first=David |date=October 20, 2021 |title=Lived experience vs. legislative experience as Shukri Olow challenges Dave Upthegrove for King County Council |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/lived-experience-vs-legislative-experience-as-shukri-olow-challenges-dave-upthegrove-for-king-county-council/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=August 9, 2024}} He replaced Julia Patterson, a three-term incumbent who decided not to run for a fourth term.{{cite news |last=Heffter |first=Emily |date=April 26, 2013 |title=King County Councilmember Julia Patterson will not seek re-election |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/king-county-councilmember-julia-patterson-will-not-seek-re-election/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=August 9, 2024}} Upthegrove was appointed to the Sound Transit Board in January 2014.{{cite press release |date=January 17, 2014 |title=King County appoints new members to Sound Transit Board |url=https://www.soundtransit.org/get-to-know-us/news-events/news-releases/king-county-appoints-new-members-to-sound-transit-board |publisher=Sound Transit |accessdate=August 9, 2024}}
Personal life
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commonscat}}
- {{official website|http://www.upthegrove.org/}}
{{CongLinks|votesmart=51521}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-wa-hs}}
{{s-bef|before=Karen Keiser}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the Washington House of Representatives
from the 33rd district|years=2002–2013}}
{{s-aft|after=Mia Gregerson}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Hilary Franz}}
{{s-ttl|title=Public Lands Commissioner of Washington|years=2025–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{Current statewide political officials of Washington}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Upthegrove, Dave}}
Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people
Category:American gay politicians
Category:Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives
Category:21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature
Category:King County Councillors
Category:LGBTQ state legislators in Washington (state)
Category:People from Burien, Washington