Washington State Senate
Named in 31 stories. Back to all names
- Mar 6, 1885Mr. Palmer Urges Senate to Back Women’s SuffrageMr. Palmer takes to the floor in Olympia to argue for woman suffrage, dismantling tired objections and demanding a seat at the table for Washington women.Olympia, WA
- Feb 24, 1893'The Railroads Have Had It Long Enough'A railroad-rate bill passed the House almost unanimously and now sits in the Senate, where the Post-Intelligencer warns that any man who stands between the people and the railroads will be crushed — and notes the governor can call an extra session if the legislature balks.Olympia, WA
- Feb 28, 1893The Last-Day Bill Rush—and a Women’s Suffrage AmendmentWashington’s Senate introduced dozens of measures on the final day of bill introduction, from railroad assessments and a company-store ban to a referendum on votes for women.Olympia, WA
- Mar 4, 1893The Railroad Freight Fight That Nearly Forced a Special SessionFarmers and reformers pushed the Anderson railroad bill to a Senate showdown, while Gov. McGraw threatened to keep lawmakers in Olympia until freight rates came down.Washington State Capitol, Olympia, WA
- Mar 8, 1893Olympia’s Capitol Fight: Donate the Land or Lose the StatehouseA late-night Senate debate over the new state capitol turned on eleven acres, a $150,000 land scheme and whether Olympia should pay to keep the building—before the bill passed to applause.Seattle, WA
- Jan 27, 1895The Newspaper Letter That Nearly Started a Fight in the Washington SenateWith the U.S. Senate election deadlocked in Olympia, a Pierce County senator read a rival’s letter aloud — and the chamber erupted over money, lobbyists, and borrowed favors.Olympia, WA
- Feb 18, 1895A One-House Legislature: Thirty-Four Days, Five LawsThe fourth Washington legislature had burned more than half its allotted time and signed just five bills into law—because each chamber ignored the other's work.Olympia, WA
- Feb 20, 1895One Vote Shy: Washington’s Local Option Bill Goes Down in the SenateA 17–16 roll call, one absent senator and a promised reconsideration left Washington’s saloon-regulation fight hanging by a thread.Olympia, WA
- Feb 20, 1895The Senate Says Yes to Women’s Suffrage—For NowA constitutional amendment to let women vote cleared the Washington Senate with 21 votes and 9,450 petition signatures, but a reconsideration motion threatened to undo it.Olympia, WA
- Mar 5, 1895The Legislature’s Endgame: Normal Schools Funded, a Central Board KilledWith ten days left, Washington lawmakers passed money for Cheney and Whatcom normal schools, killed a plan to consolidate state institutions, and left Cascade railroad routes in doubt.Washington State Capitol, Olympia, WA
- Mar 6, 1895The State Tries to Soften the Panic for Delinquent TaxpayersThe Senate passes a bill remitting penalties and interest on delinquent 1893–94 taxes, citing “great financial stringency” and declaring an emergency.Washington State Capitol, Olympia, WA
- Mar 6, 1895The University Would Pay Its Bills by Bonding Seattle LandA bill to bond ten acres in Seattle and more than 1,000 acres in Western Washington advances, using the old land grant to pay for university improvements.Washington State Capitol, Olympia, WA
- Mar 9, 1895The Senate Kills the Railroad Rate Bill, and the Party Loses FaceAn editorial lashes the state senate for 'slaughtering' the Helm bill regulating railroad freights and fares, despite the Republican platform and Governor McGraw's own demand for fairness to the public.Olympia, WA
- Mar 11, 1895Champagne for the Lobby, Despair for the FarmersWashington's Senate kills the Helm-Morgan freight-rate bill after railroad agents work Olympia, and the state's press calls it a corporate victory over the people.Olympia, WA
- Mar 11, 1895A Senate Report Exposes the National Guard's 'Go-As-You-Please' SpendingA military deficiency report finds the Washington National Guard has escaped civil control and wasted money, including $1,000 for each election of Adjutant General O'Brien.Olympia, WA
- Mar 12, 1895The Senate Decapitates the GuardA move to single out Adjutant General O'Brien backfires in Olympia, wiping out every commissioned officer in Washington's National Guard.Olympia, WA
- Mar 13, 1895The Railroad Rate Bill Dies in the Senate—and the Palouse Wants AnswersWashington's Helm freight-rate bill passed the House overwhelmingly, then fell in the Senate. Farmers calculated the loss in dollars; editors told voters to remember the senators who killed it.Olympia, WA
- Mar 15, 1895Olympia Adjourns: Reform Bills Pass, but Railroad Rate Relief DiesWashington’s 1893 legislature closes in a rush of land, school, tax, and institution bills—while the Senate refuses to cut freight rates for Eastern Washington wheat growers.Olympia, WA
- Feb 9, 1909Washington Moves to Kill the Racetrack: Anti-Gambling Bill Heads to the GovernorThe House bowed to the Senate's removal of the emergency clause, sending a bill to end horse racing in Washington to the governor — while 'dry' lawmakers pushed a local-option measure late into the night.Olympia, WA
- Feb 10, 1909Washington Senate Tries to Ban Election Pledges—After Being 'Buncoed' by the Anti-Saloon LeagueLawmakers voted 27 to 11 for a 'freak bill' disqualifying legislators who promise support for bills before election, then added a rider against corporation lawyers. Legal scholars called it unconstitutional.Olympia, WA
- Feb 17, 1909A Deadlocked Senate, and a Pierce County Man Holding the SwitchThirteen roll calls, thirteen 21-21 ties. As Olympia's galleries packed the senate chamber for a fight over local option, the whole thing came down to two senators quietly promising to change sides.Olympia, WA
- Mar 1, 1909Medical Lobby Drops Fight Against OsteopathsAfter intense lobbying against the Beach bill, the Pierce County Medical Association abruptly reverses course, paving the way for osteopaths to join the state board of medical examiners.Olympia, WA
- Mar 4, 1909State Senate Kills Eight-Hour Bill for Women WorkersEverett labor leaders blast the State Senate for killing protections for working women.Everett, WA
- Mar 4, 1909Senate Rejects Eight-Hour Workday for WomenLegislators kill labor reform, prioritizing industrial profits over the well-being of working women.Olympia, WA
- Mar 12, 1909The Great Washington Oyster Land GrabIn a defiant legislative maneuver, the state senate pushed through a bill ceding valuable tide lands, sparking accusations of corruption.Olympia, WA
- Jul 1, 1909The House Turns on Its Insurance CommissionerThe Washington House votes unanimously to impeach Insurance Commissioner James H. Schively, opening a Senate trial that could remove him—and prolong the special session.Washington State Capitol, Olympia, WA
- Jul 8, 1909The Statehouse Recesses—and an Impeachment Trial WaitsLawmakers adjourn until August 11 to try Insurance Commissioner J.H. Schively on 26 counts, capping a special session that cost $117,984 and spawned investigations of the Supreme Court and a 'Nurses' Trust Bill.'Olympia, WA
- Jul 15, 1909Washington’s Insurance Commissioner Fights Impeachment With 60 Pages and a Statute of LimitationsJ. H. Schively answers all 26 articles with denials, jurisdictional objections, and a request to bar 17 senators — then points the blame at his predecessor.Olympia, WA
- Aug 12, 1909A Special Session Becomes an Impeachment CourtWashington lawmakers returned to Olympia to try Insurance Commissioner Schively, with the accused demanding that more than a dozen senators be disqualified as biased judges.Olympia, WA
- Aug 19, 1909Washington's First Impeachment Trial Is Losing Its Charges to a CommaInsurance Commissioner J. H. Schively's Senate trial drops twenty-six counts down toward half of them on a technicality, while the sixty-day legislative clock runs out Saturday at midnight.Olympia, WA
- Sep 2, 1909Acquitted by His Own Senate, and the Governor Says the People Will Judge HimWashington's insurance commissioner beat all twelve impeachment charges on a 14-to-26 vote. Governor Hay called it a violation of the senators' oaths — and handed the case to the voters.Olympia, WA