Doug Sutherland (American politician)

Doug Sutherland (born 1937), Republican, is the former Commissioner of Public Lands for the state of Washington. Sutherland was first elected to this statewide position in 2000, when he defeated former Governor Mike Lowry. He was re-elected in 2004, defeating challenger Mike Cooper. In 2008, Sutherland ran for a third term, but lost to Peter J. Goldmark, a rancher from Eastern Washington.

Born in Montana in 1937, Sutherland moved to Spokane, Washington as a young boy. His father was a union plasterer.

As a student at Central Washington University, Sutherland spent his summers fighting wildfires in the forests of Northern California and Oregon as a smokejumper. After graduating from Central Washington University with a Bachelor's Degree in History, Sutherland spent eleven years with the Boeing Company. In 1971, Sutherland purchased the Tacoma Tent and Awning Company, building it from four to thirty four employees over the next two decades. Having seen the impact government can have on small businesses and families, Sutherland became involved in local politics.

From 1980 to 1981, Sutherland served on the Tacoma City Council. After just two years on the council, he was elected mayor of Tacoma, where he served from 1982-1989. As mayor of Tacoma, he completed the nation's first environmental community assessment with then United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director Bill Ruckelshaus. He also served as the Chair of the Puget Sound Air Quality Authority. During that time the PSAQA led Pierce, King, Snohomish and Kitsap counties into compliance with the Clean Air Act's new standards.

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