Washington, state, United States: Government and Higher Education

Washington still operates under its first constitution, adopted in 1889. Its executive branch is headed by a governor elected for a four-year term. The legislature has a senate with 49 members and a house of representatives with 98 members. The state sends 2 senators and 10 representatives to the U.S. Congress and has 12 electoral votes. The state is solidly Democratic.

Among the state's institutions of higher learning are Central Washington Univ., at Ellensburg; Eastern Washington Univ., at Cheney; Evergreen State College, at Olympia; Gonzaga Univ., at Spokane; Pacific Lutheran Univ. and the Univ. of Puget Sound, at Tacoma; Seattle Univ. and the Univ. of Washington, at Seattle; Washington State Univ., at Pullman; Western Washington Univ., at Bellingham; and Whitman College, at Walla Walla.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Postwar Change and New Industry
• The Early Twentieth Century
• Gold, Immigration, and Statehood
• Native American Resistance and Territorial Status
• Early Settlement and Boundary Disputes
• European Exploration
• Government and Higher Education
• Economy
• Places of Interest and Cities
• The West and the Pacific Coast
• The Cascades
• The Interior
• Geography
• Facts and Figures
• Bibliography

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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