Kenneth Otto Eikenberry

Kenneth Otto Eikenberry Obituary Kenneth 0. "Ken" Eikenberry June 29, 1932 December 22, 2023 Olympia, Washington. Ken Eikenberry passed away on December 22, 2023, one day after his 60" wedding anniversary, at the age of 91. His wife, Beverly was at his bedside. The cause of death was progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare, neurodegenerative brain disease.

Ken was born on June 29, 1932 in Wenatchee, to Otto K. Eikenberry and Florence Markham Eikenberry. He graduated from Wenatchee High School in 1950; Wenatchee Valley College, AA in 1952; and Washington State University with a B.A. in Political Science in 1954. He served in the United States Army from mid-1954 to mid-1956.

Ken received his Law Degree from the University of Washington, School of Law in 1959, and subsequently worked as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation 1960-1962. From September 1962 -1967 Ken was a King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, prosecuting criminal cases; supervising criminal trials and in 1967 advising the then-newly established King County Boundary Review Board on administrative law.

From 1968 - 1973 Ken was an associate in the law firm of Clinton, Andersen, Fleck & Glein. In 1970 Ken was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives from the 36th District and re-elected 1972 and 1974. Ken was elected to serve as Chairman for the Washington State Republican Party from 1977 through 1980. As Chairman the State of Washington elected a Republican majority in the State House of Representatives, a Republican Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Commissioner of Public Lands, a United States Senator and two Congressmen. Republicans eventually took control of the Washington State Senate when one Senator switched parties.

Ken was elected to 3 terms as the Attorney General for the State of Washington. He served 12 years from December 1980 to January 1993. As Attorney General he submitted and pursued numerous "Attorney General Request" bills to the Legislature. One such bill, promised in his 1980 campaign and passed in 1981, established authority in the Attorney General, for the first time in Washington State history to bring criminal prosecutions, upon request or concurrence of the governor, a county prosecutor, or the Organized Crime Advisory Board.

In 1982 Ken was appointed to the nine-member President's Task Force on Victims of Crime by President Reagan. He is credited with securing Washington's Victim Bill of Rights submitted to a vote of the people in 1989 and thereby amended the State Constitution (Article 1, Section 35) so as to guaranty certain rights to victims of violent crime, including the right to make a statement at the time of sentencing. This law was the product of Ken's service on the Victims of Crime Task Force, for which Ken was recognized by President Reagan on March 15, 1983.

In 1992, during Ken's final year as Attorney General, he won the Republican Party nomination for Governor of the State of Washington. In November of that year, he narrowly lost the general election to the Democrat candidate.

Ken was once again elected Chairman for the Washington State Republican Party from 1993 through 1996. In 1994 Washington State elected more new Members to Congress than any other state. And in '96 raised a record budget of $7.6 million and won both chambers of the State Legislature.

Semi-retired in 1997, Ken did some consulting work for the Building lndustry Association of Washington; assisted in several judicial campaigns; and as Board Member for the Indian Summer Homeowners Association provided direction in transition from developer-directed association to homeowner directed.

Ken loved boating and from 1997 to 2001, he was a volunteer with the Olympia Police Department Harbor Patrol.

Golfing was not taken up until his retirement years and Ken and Bev joined with several other couples from Indian Summer wintering in the Palm Desert area for a number of years. When at home, Ken enjoyed spending many hours doing landscaping work in the yard,

Ken is survived by his wife Bev, and his sisters Elsie Marie Foley and Linda Key Eikenberry, Vashon lsland and Christine Noel Attebery, Bellingham, WA and nieces and nephews. He will be inurned at Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 SE 240th St., Kent, WA 98042.