William Harrison McDowell was born November 12, 1944 in Tacoma, Washington as the eldest son of Robert and Katherine McDowell. After graduating high school, McDowell attended the University of Washington to study Business Administration. It was during his time as an undergraduate that McDowell's interest in politics developed. After graduating in 1968 with his bachelor’s degree, McDowell received a job working for the state’s Department of Commerce in Olympia. While serving the department for 12 years, he worked to promote Washington’s economy and job growth. In 1980, McDowell left the Department of Commerce to run for state senator as a Republican. Elected and re-elected for 2 terms, McDowell announced in 1988 that he would be seeking election to the United State House of Representatives in Washington's 3rd congressional district. With a hard fought campaign in the Republican primary, he won the nomination and was able to declare victory in the general election.
In 1992, Congressman McDowell announced that he would seek election to the United States Senate to represent the Rocky Mountains. In what turned out to be the closest Senate election result that year, McDowell narrowly defeated fellow Washingtonian Lilliam Vanleer in the special election. In 1994, he was re-elected by the voters of the Rocky Mountains against Democrat Will Ashbury, receiving 51.7 percent of the vote to Ashbury's 47.9 percent. After being elected to a full term, he served as the top Republican on the Judiciary and Regulatory Committee while his party was in the minority, putting him in a position to become Chairman of the committee when his party took control of the Senate majority two years later, after an unsuccessful run against DNC Chairman and incumbent West Governor Damien Thorn. Despite questions about Thorn's involvement in a pay-to-play scheme for state contracts, late contributions from the DNC helped send the governor to a second term.
While some predicted a rematch between McDowell and Thorn in the 2000 election, with Govenor Thorn changing his residency from California to Washington, the Governor unexpectedly resigned his office and left politics. Ultimately, the Democrats nominated Colorado Congressman Bob Russell. On election day, McDowell defeated Russell by a margin of 56.6 percent to 42.8 percent. McDowell continued to be a voice of thoughtful conservatism throughout his career in the United States Senate, and he fulfilled his pledge not to seek re-election after two full terms. He currently occasionally serves as a correspondent on the Fox News Channel.
