John Urquhart (sheriff)
John Urquhart | |
|---|---|
 John Urquhart, 2014 | |
| 33rd King County Sheriff | |
| In office November 2012 – January 2, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Strachan |
| Succeeded by | Mitzi Johanknecht |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 10, 1947 Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Political party | Democrat[1] |
| Spouse | Shelley |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Mercer Island, Washington |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Occupation | Law Enforcement Officer |
John Urquhart (born November 10, 1947) was the 33rd sheriff of King County, Washington and a Democrat.[2] He served as the county's chief law enforcement official for nearly two million people and oversaw the more than 1000 employees of the King County Sheriff's Office.[3]
Career
Urquhart grew up in Seattle, Washington. He attended Ingraham High School, graduating in 1967 as Class President.[2] He then attended the University of Washington, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in business in 1971.[4] He owned an electrical construction materials business, which he sold in 1988.
Urquhart's first job in law enforcement was as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Island County Sheriff's Department, serving from 1975 to 1980.[5] He then joined the King County Sheriff's Office as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff in 1980, eventually becoming in a full-time Deputy Sheriff in 1988.[6] During his 24-year career with the department, he served in a number of roles including: Field Training Officer, Narcotics Detective, Sergeant, Administrative Aide to the Sheriff, and Spokesman.[7][7] He retired in February 2012 and became President of the S.H.E.R.I.F.F. Fund.[7]
In late 2012, Urquhart decided to enter the race for King County Sheriff, a non-partisan elected office. He was elected as King County Sheriff in November 2012, defeating Republican Steve Strachan with 56 percent of the vote.[8][9] He immediately hired Anne Kirkpatrick, Chief of the Spokane Police Department, as his second in command.
In 2016, a lawsuit was filed against Urquhart, alleging that he had raped a former sheriff's deputy in 2002.[10] Another former deputy accused Urquhart of groping him; the deputy received $160,000 in an unusual settlement that was not approved by the King County Executive's office.[11]
Urquhart ran for reelection as King County Sheriff in 2017 and was defeated by challenger Mitzi Johanknecht, a major from the Southwest Precinct.[12]
References
- ^ "One Question for King County Sheriff Candidate John Urquhart". Seattle Met. 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ^ a b Mcnerthne, Casey (2012-11-28). "John Urquhart becomes King County sheriff". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ^ "Organization". Kingcounty.gov. 2013-03-28. Archived from the original on 2013-01-26. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ^ "King County Sheriff - 2012 Voter Guide". C3.thevoterguide.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ^ Sullivan, Jennifer. "King County Sheriff's race: the new man vs. the longtime insider | Local News". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ^ Jean, Sara (2011-09-10). "Local News | Sheriff's spokesman is quitting department after 23 years | Seattle Times Newspaper". Seattletimes.com. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ^ a b c Watson, Kendall (2012-10-24). "Meet John Urquhart, Candidate for King County Sheriff - Government - Mercer Island, WA Patch". Mercerisland.patch.com. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ^ "John Urquhart Sworn In Today As New King County Sheriff | KUOW News and Information". Kuow.org. 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ^ "INTERVIEW: John Urquhart Vows that he'll 'Do the Right Thing as the Sheriff' | The B-Town (Burien) Blog". B-townblog.com. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ^ Kamb, Lewis (December 22, 2016). "King County Sheriff Urquhart told investigators to ignore woman's claim he raped her, documents say". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ Kamb, Lewis (November 2, 2017). "Sheriff John Urquhart sues ex-deputy over groping allegation". The Seattle Times.
- ^ Miletich, Steve. "Mitzi Johanknecht unseats John Urquhart as King County sheriff". Seattle Times. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
External links
- http://johnforsheriff.com/johns-biography/ Campaign Website