Willis Tucker

Tucker was born on November 13, 1922, to a coal mining family in Beards Fork, West Virginia. At the age of 14, he was sent to live with his grandparents in Coulee City, Washington, where he graduated high school. Playing as a quarterback for the Coulee City High School football team, Tucker earned himself a scholarship to attend Gonzaga University shortly after graduating.[1]

Tucker abandoned the Gonzaga scholarship and enlisted in the United States Army in 1943, during the middle of World War II, and was sent to Fort Custer to become a member of the Military Police Corps. He served under former FBI agent Melvin Purvis in Europe, investigating crimes involving American soldiers, before mustering out as technical sergeant. After returning to Coulee City in 1946, he married Annette Rhoades and worked as a concrete pourer on the Grand Coulee Dam before being poisoned by the work, entering the newspaper business instead.[1]

Tucker entered the newspaper business as a print shop worker in Coulee City and Portland, Oregon, before moving to Snohomish in 1949.[1][2] Tucker became the co-owner of the Snohomish Tribune and served on the city's chamber of commerce for several years,[3] before selling his share and joining The Everett Herald. In 1965, he was named the managing editor of The Herald's Western Sun edition, covering southern Snohomish County. He continued to be involved in community politics, later joining the Mountlake Terrace chamber of commerce and the Lynnwood Koffee Klatch, a group of southern Snohomish County business leaders.[1][4] Tucker was one of the founding members of the Association of Washington Generals, along with Lieutenant Governor John Cherberg.[5]

After the approval of a new home rule charter for Snohomish County in 1979, creating the new position of Snohomish County Executive, Tucker was encouraged to run for public office by future Everett mayor Ed Hansen.[1] Deciding to run as a Democrat, despite having conservative leanings,[1] Tucker faced Republican state senator Gary A. Nelson and two independent candidates. While Tucker had no political experience, he had been a member of the County Airport Commission and touted his longtime involvement with local political issues while working at the Western Sun. In his campaign, Tucker focused on making a smooth transition to the new form of county government, while also saving the county's rural qualities in the face of growing suburbanization.[6] During the March 11, 1980 general election, Tucker defeated Nelson to become the county's first executive.[1][7]

Tucker selected former Everett councilman Gordon Hay as his first deputy executive and took office on May 1.[8] During his first year in office, the county faced a $6 million revenue shortfall that Tucker's administration solved with program and staff cuts.[1] Tucker was re-elected to a second term in 1983, beating out Everett businessman Court Sheehan in the Democratic primary and Republican Snohomish city councilman Larry E. Countryman.[9][10]

During his second term, Tucker's administration supported the selection of Everett as the site of a new naval base. Another budget crisis forced more staff layoffs and program cuts to save $6.8 million by 1987.[11] Tucker's popularity began to decline during his second term,[12] leading to a near-upset by architect Michael Glanz in the 1987 election. Tucker won a third term by a margin of 1,500 votes, which was as low as 500 on election night, and called the vote an "anti-Tucker" campaign.[13] Tucker remained personally popular, but declined to run for a fourth term in 1991 and was succeeded by Bob Drewel.[2][14]

By the time he retired in 1991, Tucker had successfully established senior-friendly policies to aid the elderly and senior centers, and also moved forward with county purchasing of wetlands in the Snohomish River delta for preservation.[2] While socially liberal, Tucker was an ardent fiscal conservative, and emphasized strict spending and budgeting as well as other policies favoring job growth.[1]

Tucker was an avid golfer and spent time on local courses. During the 1990 GTE Northwest Classic, part of the 1990 Senior PGA Tour, Tucker was one of two amateur golfers to make a hole-in-one, earning lifetime dinners at Duke's Chowder House in Seattle.[1][16]