Lois North
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Lois North | |
|---|---|
 North in 1961 | |
| Chair of the King County Council | |
| In office January 1, 1990 – January 1, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Gary Grant |
| Succeeded by | Audrey Gruger |
| In office January 1, 1982 – January 1, 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Ruby Chow |
| Succeeded by | Gary Grant |
| Member of the King County Council from the 4th district | |
| In office January 1, 1980 – January 1, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Bernice Stern |
| Succeeded by | Larry Phillips |
| Member of the Washington Senate from the 44th district | |
| In office January 13, 1975 – December 31, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Ted G. Peterson |
| Succeeded by | Bruce A. Bradburn |
| Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 44th district | |
| In office January 13, 1969 – January 13, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Lon F. Backman |
| Succeeded by | Donn Charnley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lois Esther Hiester November 23, 1921 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 20, 2025 (aged 103) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Douglass North
(m. 1944; div. 1972) |
Lois Esther North (née Hiester; November 23, 1921 – September 20, 2025) was an American politician in the state of Washington. A Republican, North served in the Washington House of Representatives for the 44th district between 1969 and 1975 and the Washington State Senate from the 44th district between 1975 and 1979.
Born in Berkeley, California, she attended the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University. While studying at UC Berkeley, she met Douglass C. North, whom she married in 1944. She worked as a teacher before the couple moved to Seattle, Washington, where she became involved with the League of Women Voters after the birth of their children. She led the effort to redistrict the state legislature in 1962, although the ballot measure she drafted ultimately was rejected by the voters. North also served on the King County commission that drafted the new county charter that was approved by voters in 1968.
North was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 1968, where she worked to pass environmental legislation. A moderate, pro-choice Republican, she sponsored a bill to reform abortion policy, which led to its legalization through Initiative 20 in 1970. She was the primary sponsor of the state-wide equal rights amendment (ERA) and led the movement to ratify the federal ERA in Washington. She was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1974, where she served for three terms, retiring from office in 1979. She was then elected to the King County Council to represent the 4th district, serving three terms. She chose not to seek re-election in 1991.
North was born Lois Hiester on November 23, 1921, in Berkeley, California. She was the youngest of three children of Cyrus Hiester and Anna Bertelse Hiester. She was involved in student government and debate during her high school years.[1] She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a general secondary teaching certificate. She completed graduate studies at UC Berkeley and Columbia University.[1][2]
In college, North met Douglass C. North and the couple married on June 29, 1944, in Albany, California.[1][3] Her husband joined the U.S. Merchant Marines for a year during World War II and then began a career in economics, for which he later received a Nobel Memorial Prize in 1993. The couple later divorced in 1972.[1]
Early political activism
North began her career teaching high school history and math. When her husband accepted a job with the University of Washington in 1950, the couple moved to Seattle. They had three sons between 1951 and 1957 – Douglass, Christopher, and Malcolm – and North became a stay-at-home mom.[1]
During this time, she became politically involved, joining the League of Women Voters of Seattle and serving as the chapter's president between 1963 and 1967.[1][4] North supported that the League was non-partisan but she took a strong stand on issues, supporting a state income tax, lowering the voting age to eighteen, and a constitutional amendment to enact a recurrent, ten-year requirement for redistricting. She lobbied the state capital in Olympia in favor of these issues on behalf of the organization. The League had drafted a previous ballot initiative in 1957 to redistrict the state, which had been dismantled by the state legislature, and North became state chair for the 1962 effort to introduce a redistricting ballot initiative. After drafting the measure, working with advisors and holding public hearings, the initiative was ultimately rejected by voters.[1]
In 1967, she was elected to the King County commission tasked with drafting a new county charter. Along with fourteen fellow freeholders, she made recommendations to the public about proposed amendments to county offices. She was in favor of either an appointed or elected county administrator with a stated political affiliation. The proposed King County charter was approved by voters in 1968.[1]
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