Jenny Durkan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jenny Durkan
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| 56th Mayor of Seattle | |
| In office November 28, 2017 – December 31, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Tim Burgess |
| Succeeded by | Bruce Harrell |
| United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington | |
| In office October 1, 2009 – September 30, 2014 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | John McKay |
| Succeeded by | Brian T. Moran |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jenny Anne Durkan
May 19, 1958 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Dana Garvey |
| Relatives | Martin Durkan (father) |
| Education | University of Notre Dame (BA) University of Washington (JD) |
Jenny Anne Durkan (born May 19, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. She served as the 56th mayor of Seattle, Washington. Before becoming mayor, she was a federal prosecutor. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
After finishing law school in 1985, Durkan worked as a lawyer. In 2009, President Barack Obama chose her to be the United States Attorney for Western Washington. She held this important job until 2014.
In 2017, Jenny Durkan was elected mayor of Seattle. She was the first woman to be mayor of the city since the 1920s. She was also the first mayor born in Seattle to be elected. She decided not to run for mayor again after her term ended in 2021.
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Early Life and Education
Jenny Durkan was born in Seattle, Washington, on May 19, 1958. She grew up in a large family with eight brothers and sisters. Her family lived in different towns near Seattle, like Mercer Island and Bellevue, before settling in Issaquah.
Her father, Martin Durkan, was a well-known lawyer and politician in Seattle. He served many years in the state Senate. Her mother was a homemaker who later became an editor for a local newspaper.
Durkan went to Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, a private Catholic school for girls. She also spent time studying abroad in London during high school. She enjoyed traveling through Europe during this experience.
She earned her first college degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1980. After college, Durkan spent two years teaching English to high school students in Alaska. She also coached a girls' basketball team there.
Later, she went to the University of Washington School of Law and earned her law degree in 1985. She had wanted to be a lawyer since she was very young.
Law Career
While in law school, Jenny Durkan worked with the public defender's office. This gave her experience helping people who needed legal help. After law school, she moved to Washington, D.C., to work at a law firm.
In 1991, Durkan returned to Seattle. She joined a law firm and became known for her work in criminal defense. She also helped people who had been harmed in different situations. For example, she worked on cases for families affected by the Pang warehouse fire and the Hanukkah Eve windstorm of 2006.
From 1994 to 1995, Durkan worked for Washington Governor Mike Lowry. She was his chief lawyer and political advisor.
One of her important cases was in 2005. She helped defend Governor Chris Gregoire's election victory in 2004. The election results were challenged, but Gregoire's win was confirmed.
In 2017, Durkan helped families at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. She worked to get a court order that stopped people from being sent back to their home countries. This happened after a travel ban was put in place.
After serving as U.S. Attorney, Durkan joined a new law office in Seattle. She focused on issues related to the internet and online safety. She also helped with an investigation into global corruption in FIFA, a major soccer organization.
Community Involvement
Jenny Durkan has been involved in many community roles. She served on the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission. She also worked with the Seattle Police Department on review boards. Two Seattle mayors asked her to be on committees that reviewed the police department.
She also helped create the King County Drug Court and the Mental Health Court. These courts help people with drug or mental health issues.
Durkan was a founding board member for the Seattle Police Foundation. She also chaired a task force on consumer privacy for the Washington State Attorney General. This task force helped create new laws to protect people from identity theft.
U.S. Attorney Role
In May 2009, President Barack Obama chose Jenny Durkan to be the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington. This area covers 19 counties and has millions of people. The United States Senate approved her appointment, and she started her job on October 1, 2009.
As U.S. Attorney, Durkan created a Civil Rights Department in her office. This department worked on cases to protect people's civil rights. She also supported efforts to improve the Seattle Police Department. This came after an investigation found problems with how force was used.
Durkan also worked on cybercrimes, like hacking and identity theft. She helped schools share internet safety tips with parents and children. She also focused on national security issues.
She worked to reduce gun violence in Western Washington. During her time, cases involving people who illegally had firearms increased. She focused on areas with high crime rates to address gun sales.
2017 Mayoral Election
Jenny Durkan announced she was running for Seattle mayor on May 11, 2017. This was after the current mayor decided not to run again. Many groups and leaders supported Durkan's campaign. These included labor unions, the Governor, and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
In the first round of voting in August, Durkan received the most votes. She then moved on to the final election against urban planner Cary Moon. Durkan raised a lot of money for her campaign, setting a new record for Seattle mayoral races. Large companies also contributed to her campaign.
After the general election in November, Durkan received over 60% of the votes. Her opponent, Cary Moon, accepted the results.
Mayor of Seattle
As mayor, Jenny Durkan worked on several important issues for Seattle. These included homelessness, the need for affordable housing, and improving city infrastructure. She also led the city's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early in her term, Durkan signed an order to create the Seattle Promise College Tuition Program. This program helps Seattle public school students get free access to college. She also proposed a plan to expand preschool programs and support school health centers. Seattle voters approved this plan in 2018.
Durkan was a key supporter in bringing the NHL hockey team, the Kraken, to Seattle. She also helped create a "Domestic Workers Bill of Rights" for people working in the industry in Seattle. She signed new laws to raise pay for ride-share workers and to add gun restrictions.
Transportation Projects
During her time as mayor, the Seattle Department of Transportation changed some plans for bicycle lanes. These projects had been planned in earlier years. Some cycling groups and city council members were concerned about these changes.
Durkan also supported free transit passes for high school and college students. Seattle became the largest U.S. city to offer free transit passes to high school students.
In 2018, Durkan stopped planning for a new streetcar project. This was because the costs were going much higher than expected.
Police Chief Selection
In 2018, Durkan chose a new permanent chief for the Seattle Police Department. Her first list of finalists did not include the interim chief, Carmen Best. After hearing concerns from the community and police officers, Durkan added Best to the list of finalists. The city council then confirmed Carmen Best as police chief.
Homelessness in Seattle
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Durkan proposed one of the first rules to stop evictions for small businesses and residents. For these actions, Fortune magazine named her one of the "25 Best World Leaders" during the pandemic.
She also focused on helping people experiencing homelessness. In 2020, she created 600 new housing units with support services. In 2019, she signed a law to increase affordable housing requirements in Seattle neighborhoods. She also signed a bill to make it easier to build backyard cottages.
Education Initiatives
In 2020, Mayor Durkan signed an order to create the Seattle Promise College Tuition Program. This program helps more Seattle public school students get free access to college.
Protests and Public Records
During protests in Seattle in 2020, there were discussions about how the city handled the demonstrations. Some people called for Durkan to resign.
Later, it was found that some official text messages from Durkan and other city leaders were not kept. This was a violation of state public records laws. The city later paid money to settle a lawsuit related to these missing messages.
Personal Life
Jenny Durkan has a partner, Dana Garvey. They have two sons. Dana Garvey has had a successful career in cellular communications and has started her own businesses.
See also
In Spanish: Jenny Durkan para niños
- List of mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States
- List of United States political families
