Archives West Finding Aid

Julia Butler Hansen (1907-1988) represented citizens of southwest Washington in both the State Legislature and in Congress. Born Julia Carrie Butler in 1907 in Portland, Oregon, she spent most of her childhood in Cathlamet, Washington. Hansen graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1930, (In college she changed her middle name to Caroline). Her political career began with involvement in the local Democratic Party; Hansen sat on the Democratic State Executive Committee from 1936-1940. In 1937, Hansen became the first woman to serve on the Cathlamet city council (1937-1946).

In 1938, Hansen was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives, representing the 18th district (then including Wahkiakum and Cowlitz counties). She was a member of the House until 1960, and was speaker pro tempore from 1955 to 1960. Hansen served on a variety of House committees, notably the Education Committee, of which she was a member from 1939-1960, and was four times chair. However, Hansen’s major work was in developing Washington’s legislative highway program. She became the first woman to chair the House Roads and Bridges committee in 1949. She served on and chaired the House Highways Committee and the Highways Interim Committee (1949-1953). She chaired the Interim Joint Fact-Finding Committee on Highways, Streets and Bridges from 1951-60. She was also Chairman of the eleven-state Western Interstate Committee on Highway Policy Problems from 1951 to 1960.

Throughout this time Hansen remained a leader in the Democratic Party. From 1940-1960, she was chair of the Wahkiakum County Democratic Central Committee and was Democratic Minority leader of the House in 1953.

In 1960, Hansen won a special election to the 86th Congress, held to fill a vacancy in Washington’s 3rd congressional district (covering most of southwestern Washington) caused by the death of Russell V. Mack. At the same time she was also elected to the 87th Congress. Hansen was reelected to the six succeeding Congresses and served consecutively in the House of Representatives from November 8, 1960 until her resignation, December 31, 1974.

Hansen’s early committee assignments included the Veterans Affairs Committee (1960-1961); the Education and Labor Committee (1961-1962); and the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee (1961-1963). In 1963 she was assigned to the Appropriations Committee, which became the primary focus of her congressional activities. As a member of the Appropriations Committee she sat on the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, the Transportation Subcommittee and the Interior and Related Agencies Subcommittee, which she chaired from 1967 to 1974. These committees served to manage congressional business, approve budgets, and authorize and enable legislation.

Hansen was also an active member of the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission (1970-1974) and served on the Democratic House Caucus Organization Study and Review Committee (1970-1972), which reviewed the seniority system and made other significant reforms in the Democratic Caucus.

After her retirement from Congress in 1975, she was appointed to a six-year term on the Washington State Toll Bridge Authority and State Highway Commission. She was also chairman of the Washington State Transportation commission from 1979 to 1981.

Julia Butler Hansen was a resident of Cathlamet, Washington, until her death there on May 3, 1988.