U.S. Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn, Republican of Washington State, made history in 1998 as the first woman of either party to run for House Majority Leader or any top leadership post. Prior to that historic campaign, Dunn served as the highest-ranking woman in the United States Congress in the elected leadership position of Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference. Identified as a "smart conservative" by The Seattle Times, Dunn is the fifth woman in history to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee and the only woman to serve on the prestigious Joint Economic Committee. Speaker Hastert also appointed Dunn Vice Chair of the newly-created Select Committee on Homeland Security, which has been given the historic task of overseeing the new Department of Homeland Security. The lead Republican in the Washington State delegation, Dunn has served in Congress since 1993. She represents what is considered to be one of the most beautiful congressional districts in the country, running from the shores of Lake Washington to the crest of the Cascade Mountains to majestic Mt. Rainier.

Elected to Congress in 1992, she is widely regarded as an expert on tax relief, particularly eliminating the death tax, expansion of free and fair international trade, welfare reform, IRS reform, overhaul of the tax code, high tech policy, and retirement security. In 2000, Dunn was the first woman to win the Tax Foundation's annual distinguished service award and Fortune Magazine included her in the Small Business Power Thirty for her work on behalf of IRAs for homemakers.

In recognition of her early work on congressional reform, in 1994 Congresswoman Dunn was selected by the Speaker of the House to serve on the 10-Member transition team that converted the House to Republican majority control. In just her second term, she won appointment to the powerful Ways and Means Committee, where she sits on the Subcommittees on Trade and Health. Recognized for her leadership on tax, trade, and technology issues, Dunn is a regular attendee of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Considered an outstanding spokesperson for House Republicans, Dunn often appears on national TV and radio and was selected to deliver the Republican Response to the President's State of the Union address in 1999. Ladies' Home Journal dubbed Dunn one of "America's 100 Most Important Women, " and Washingtonian Magazine included Dunn on their list of Washington, DC's "100 Most Powerful Women."

Congresswoman Dunn often interprets legislation from a woman's perspective. Having developed a series of annual national women leaders fora, she has spearheaded a multi-faceted effort to close the "gender gap" in American politics by explaining how GOP policies benefit women. Dunn recently helped launch the High Tech Coalition, designed to create networking opportunities for women in the information-technology sector.

Tapped by Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) to Co-Chair the Bipartisan Congressional Working Group on Youth Violence after the Columbine tragedy in 1999, Dunn succeeded in passing legislative provisions to reduce violence and improve education for our nation's young people. A strong believer that no child should be left behind, Dunn believes in holding failing schools accountable, providing local officials more control in the classroom, and teaching all children to read by the third grade.

As a Member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, Congresswoman Dunn has been a staunch advocate of opening markets abroad for Washington State and U.S. exports. She served on the whip team for enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Permanent Normal Trade Relations for China. She also has used her position to promote U.S. exports on several occasions as she has traveled abroad representing the United States Congress. She served as one of five Members on the Congressional Advisory Board for the International Republican Institute (IRI), working to promote democracy across the world, and as a board member for the National Endowment for Democracy.

She has participated in many foreign fora. In 1984, Congresswoman Dunn was a Reagan administration delegate to the 30th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) held in Vienna, Austria. She also participated as a member of the Preparatory Commission for the 1985 World Conference on the Status of Women held in Nairobi. In 1990, she was asked by former President George Bush again to represent the United States at the UNCSW. Under President Ronald Reagan, Congresswoman Dunn served on two Presidential Advisory Councils -- one on voluntary service and the other on historic preservation, and under President Bush, she served on the Executive Committee for the Small Business Administration Advisory Counsel.

In 1997, Congresswoman Dunn was appointed to the Commission on Presidential Debates, which establishes the rules and process for debates held every four years. As a result of her early leadership on behalf of George W. Bush in Washington State and across the country, Dunn was tapped for several formal positions with the "Bush for President" campaign. She was appointed by then-Governor George W. Bush as one of 10 members of his original exploratory committee, one of three Deputy Permanent Co-chairs of the 2000 Republican National Convention and National Co-chair of the RNC's grassroots effort "Victory 2000." Congresswoman Dunn was the first woman "Pioneer," individuals who raised over $100,000 for the George W. Bush for President campaign.

Prior to her work as Washington State Republican Party Chair (1981-1992), Congresswoman Dunn served in the King County Department of Assessments (1978-1980) with responsibilities for directing department-related legislation and public relations. From 1964 to 1969, worked as an IBM Systems Engineer designing, programming and teaching computer applications for small business.

Congresswoman Dunn has served her community in many ways over the years, including as Northwest Director of the Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions and as a three-term board member of the Junior League of Seattle.

Born in Seattle on July 29th, 1941, and a native of Bellevue, Washington, Congresswoman Dunn has a long record of state, national, and international service. Washington Law & Politics magazine named Congresswoman Dunn one of the ten most powerful women in the State.

She is a graduate of Bellevue High School and holds a BA degree in English literature from Stanford University. She is a certified scuba diver, a gardener and is the mother of two sons, Bryant and Reagan.

Updated: February 24, 2003