Former WA Rep. Don Bonker dies at 86

Former U.S. House Rep. Don Bonker, who represented Southwest Washington from 1975 to 1989, died on May 30 in Silverdale, according to a news release. He was 86 years old.

Bonker became perhaps the state's most influential trade figure during his seven terms in Congress and developed a reputation nationally as an authority on international trade policy, including high-tech export controls.

“There will never be another Don Bonker,” said longtime friend Ron Dotzauer, CEO of Strategies 360, in the release. “His career reflected his life and an extension of his values for cooperation, public service, and commitment to building a better world for all of us.”

Bonker chaired a House subcommittee on international economic policy and trade. He left Congress in 1989 and lost a bid for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate to Patty Murray in 1992.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2023/06/01/don-bonker-dies.html