John Urquhart (sheriff)

John W. Urquhart (born November 10, 1947) was the 33rd sheriff of King County, Washington and a Democrat.[1] He served as the county's chief law enforcement official and oversaw the more than 1000 employees of the King County Sheriff's Office.[2]

John Urquhart
John Urquhart, 2014
33rd King County Sheriff
In office
November 28, 2012 – January 2, 2018
Preceded bySteve Strachan
Succeeded byMitzi Johanknecht
Personal details
Born (1947-11-10) November 10, 1947
Seattle, Washington, USA
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseShelley
Children2
ResidenceMercer Island, Washington
Alma materUniversity of Washington
OccupationLaw Enforcement Officer

Early life

Urquhart grew up in Seattle, Washington.[1] He attended Ingraham High School, graduating in 1967 as class president.[1] He then attended the University of Washington, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in business in 1971.[3] He owned an electrical construction materials business in Bellevue, which he sold in 1988.[4]

Career

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] He was voted officer of the year for the Burien precinct in 1991. He was overall officer of the year in 1992.[1]

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.[4] He retired in February 2012 and became president of the S.H.E.R.I.F.F. Fund, a non-profit organization.[4]

In late 2012, Urquhart decided to enter the race for King County Sheriff, a non-partisan elected office.[4] He was elected as King County Sheriff in November 2012, defeating Republican Steve Strachan with 56 percent of the vote.[7][8] He immediately hired Anne Kirkpatrick, chief of the Spokane Police Department, as his second in command.[4]

In 2016, a lawsuit was filed against Urquhart, alleging that he had raped a former sheriff's deputy in 2002.[9] 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. Some old class mates of his also stepped forward to share stories of harassment they experienced at the hands of Urquhart.[10]

Urquhart ran for reelection as King County Sheriff in 2017 and was defeated by challenger Mitzi Johanknecht, a major from the Southwest Precinct.[11]

Personal life

Uruqhart's wife is Shelley. They have two children.

References
  1. Mcnerthne, Casey (2012-11-28). "John Urquhart becomes King County sheriff". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  2. "Organization". Kingcounty.gov. 2013-03-28. Archived from the original on 2013-01-26. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  3. "King County Sheriff - 2012 Voter Guide". C3.thevoterguide.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  4. 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.
  5. Sullivan, Jennifer. "King County Sheriff's race: the new man vs. the longtime insider | Local News". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  6. 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.
  7. "John Urquhart Sworn In Today As New King County Sheriff | KUOW News and Information". Kuow.org. 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  8. "Interview: John Urquhart Vows that he'll 'Do the Right Thing as the Sheriff'". B-townblog.com. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  9. 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.
  10. Kamb, Lewis (November 2, 2017). "Sheriff John Urquhart sues ex-deputy over groping allegation". The Seattle Times.
  11. Miletich, Steve. "Mitzi Johanknecht unseats John Urquhart as King County sheriff". Seattle Times. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
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