Susan Hutchison

Susan Hutchison is an American former television news journalist who served as the Chair of the Washington State Republican Party 2013-2018 and was a candidate for the United States Senate in 2018.

Susan Hutchison
Personal details
Born	Susan Sylvester (1954-03-24) March 24, 1954 Fairfield, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Andy Hutchison ( m. 1976)
Children	2
Education	University of Florida (BA)
Website	Campaign website

Hutchison was Executive Director of the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for the Arts and Sciences, the Chair of the Seattle Symphony, and has served on the boards of the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Children's Hospital, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and Young Life.

Hutchison was an adjunct professor for Seattle Pacific University's MBA program, instructing graduate students in managerial communications.[1] As a communications consultant and executive coach, she trained more than 100 executives in companies in Seattle, Redmond, and Palo Alto to effectively communicate to audiences.[2]

Hutchison spent most of her 25-year journalism career as a news anchor at KIRO-TV news in Seattle, where she received five regional Emmy Awards for writing and producing. She was terminated from KIRO-TV in July 2002 for falsely reporting an illness. She subsequently sued for age discrimination.[3]

Hutchison's husband, Andy, was an executive with the Boeing Company and is a retired Colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.[4][5]

Early life and education

Hutchison was born Susan Sylvester at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, the daughter of Elaine (Winderling) and George Sylvester.[6] Her father was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. A 1949 West Point graduate, he flew transports, then became a fighter pilot in the mid-1960s and commanded an F-4 squadron in South Vietnam at Da Nang.[7][8] As a military daughter and the second of three children,[9] she was raised in various locations and attended Niceville High School in the panhandle of Florida and transferred in 1970 to Annandale High School in Annandale, Virginia, a suburb southwest of Washington, D.C. After graduation in 1972,[10] she enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism, graduating early in 1975.[11][12]

Journalism

Hutchison began her journalism career writing a daily sports article for the Florida Alligator student newspaper. Upon graduation in 1975, she was hired by an affiliate of the American Broadcasting Company. In 1978, she was hired as the weekend sports anchor and producer for KITV news in Honolulu, Hawaii.[7] She became the weekend news anchor, and then the weekday evening news anchor and producer.[7] After being spotted by a Seattle television executive, Hutchison was hired in January 1981 as a TV news anchor for the CBS affiliate in Seattle, KIRO-TV.[7] She worked as the evening anchor for more than 20 years, earning five Emmy Awards.[7]

Philanthropy

In 2003, Hutchison was hired as the Executive Director of the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences.[13][14] For ten years, the foundation provided $100 million in grants for projects in arts, science, and education.[15]

Hutchison has served as Trustee of the following boards: Finance Chair, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars appointed by George W. Bush; Chair, Young Life International, Vice Chairman, All-Star Orchestra (current), Vice President (present) and Chair, Seattle Symphony, and has served on the following boards: Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation, Discovery Institute, and Salvation Army.[15] She also has been a spokesperson for the American Leprosy Mission, Northwest Medical Teams, Job Corps, and March of Dimes, and has emceed charitable auctions, fundraising events and dinners.[16][17]

Her civic involvement includes the Governor’s A+ Commission on Education, National Collegiate Athletic Association Committee on Compliance, the King County Independent Task Force on Elections, and the Chancellor’s Advisory Council for Seattle Community Colleges. She received the Washington Policy Center’s Champion of Freedom award and the Seattle Mayor’s Good Neighbor award. The Washington State Republican Party named her Chairman Emeritus, the only such designation in its history

Political career

In 2005, Hutchison was one of ten people appointed by King County Executive Ron Sims to the King County Independent Task Force on Elections, commissioned to make recommendations to improve the election process after the contested gubernatorial election of 2004.[18]

When Sims stepped down in April 2009, Hutchison announced her candidacy for the non-partisan office of King County Executive.[19] Hutchison won the primary election with 37% of the vote and finished second in the general election against Dow Constantine, with 224,467 votes (41% of the vote).[20][21][22]

In 2013, Hutchison became the Chair of the Washington State Republican Party.[23][24] As Chair of the WSRP, she described Republicans as a “patchwork quilt of opinions” in need of unity and strong leadership.[25][26] During her term as Chair, the GOP gained six seats in the State House of Representatives[27] and the number of State Senators caucusing with the Republicans went up to 26, the highest total since 1949.[28][29] She resigned on 5 February 2018 amid speculation that she would take a position with the administration of President Donald Trump.[30] Hutchison was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in the 2018 election, losing to incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell.[31] Hutchison received 1,282,804 votes.[32] During the campaign, she debated Cantwell twice, emphasizing “18 reasons” to vote for Hutchison in 2018.[33][34][35]

Personal life

In 1976, she married high school classmate Andy Hutchison, an executive for the Boeing Company. He is a retired Marine Corps colonel and a 1976 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. They have two sons who graduated from Seattle public schools. Her father, George H. Sylvester (1927–2015), retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1981 as a lieutenant general.[9][8][36]

References

1. "As an adjunct professor for Seattle Pacific University's MBA program, she instructed graduate students in managerial communications based on her past 10 years as a communications consultant", "Wilson Center", 14 November 2006
2. "Through her business, Susan Hutchison Presents, she has trained more than 100 executives in companies in Seattle, Redmond, and Palo Alto to effectively communicate to audiences", "Wilson Center", 14 November 2006
3. Young, Bob (2009-08-07). "Records: KIRO says 'sick' Hutchison went canoeing". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
4. "Taking care of logistics - Deployed Reservist thankful for Boeing’s support", "Boeing Frontiers", November 2003
5. "Her husband, Andy, a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, will go on active duty Sunday with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., as part of the U.S. military buildup in preparation for a possible war with Iraq. In civilian life, Andy Hutchison is a Boeing Co. executive.", "Seattle P-I", 9 January 2003
6. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/palmbeachpost/obituary.aspx?n=george-sylvester&pid=174319261
7. A.J. McWhorter, "Emmy-winning anchor got TV break in Hawaii", Flashback, Honolulu Star Bulletin, 1 June 2009, retrieved 20-08-2009
8. "George H. Sylvester". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
9. "George Sylvester (1927–2015)". Palm Beach Post. (Florida). (obituary). March 5, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
10. "Classmate profiles". Annandale High School Class of 1972. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
11. "Washington - communigator - Fall 2001". Retrieved 2012-08-12.
12. "Elections Database - The News Tribune". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2012-08-12.
13. Payne, Patti (February 28, 2013). "$100M Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences closes on schedule". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
14. Regina Hackett, "Charles Simonyi gives arts and sciences a big boost", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 10 January 2009, retrieved 20-08-2009
15. "Susan Hutchison - Charles Simonyi Fund for the Arts and Sciences". simonyifund.org. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
16. Shapiro, Nina (June 2, 2009). "Susan Hutchison: No Answers, Lots of Questions". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
17. Joel Connelly, "King Co. exec race heats up in springtime", Opinion Column, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 1, 2009, retrieved 19-08-2009
18. "Independent Task Force Releases Report to Reform King County Elections Process; Recommendations...", Business Wire, 27 July 2005
19. Gregg, Deirdre (April 8, 2009). "Ex-TV anchor Hutchison running for King County Executive". Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle). Retrieved 2009-10-30.
20. "Election Results - November 3, 2009 General Election", "King County Elections"
21. "Hutchison, Constantine Advance In King Co. Exec Race". kirotv.com. August 18, 2009. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
22. "Hutchison concedes in King Co exec race". KOMO-TV News. November 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
23. "Susan Hutchison elected chair of state Republican Party". Retrieved 23 April 2018.
24. "Susan Hutchison re-elected to lead state GOP". Retrieved 23 April 2018.
25. "State Republican party a 'patchwork quilt of opinions,' but 'very united'", "KUOW Radio", 19 June 2017
26. "Hutchison Takes the Reins – Powerful Speech, Outsider Status Win GOP Chairmanship for Former Newscaster", "Washington State Wire", 26 August 2013
27. "Political Division of State House, years 1979-2018", "Washington State Legislature", 2018
28. "Political Division of State Senate, years 1979-2018", "Washington State Legislature", 2018]
29. "Political Division of State Senate, which convened on odd years during 1889-1977", "Washington State Legislature"
30. Brunner, Jim (2 January 2018). "Susan Hutchison to step down as Washington State Republican Party chair". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
31. McKay, Floyd (November 3, 2009). "Have Republicans found a path to reclaim some high state offices?". Crosscut. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
32. "November 6, 2018 General Election Results", "Secretary of State", 27 November 2018
33. "Washington Senate Debate", "C-SPAN", 8 October 2018
34. "Washington Senate Debate", "C-SPAN", 20 October 2018
35. "Please read 18 Reasons to vote for Susan Hutchison for Senate", "Susan4Senate", 2018]
36. "Susan Hutchison". Washington State Republican Party. Retrieved November 2, 2014.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Party political offices
Preceded by Kirby Wilbur	Chair of the Washington Republican Party 2013–2018	Succeeded by Caleb Heimlich
Preceded by Michael Baumgartner	Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Washington (Class 1) 2018	Most recent