John W. Ladenburg was appointed to the Tacoma City Council in 1982 and elected to a full term in 1984. He was elected Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney in 1986, defeating incumbent Bill Griffies. Ladenburg was reelected Prosecuting Attorney three times, becoming the first person to be elected to the office of Prosecuting Attorney more than twice. He was elected Pierce County Executive in 2000 defeating County Council Member Jan Shabro,receiving 59.6% of the vote. He was re-elected County Executive in 2004, terming out November 2008. One of Ladenburg's principal accomplishments in office was spearheading the development of Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, a municipal facility that will host the 2010 United States Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open golf championships.

Ladenburg was born in Leavenworth, Washington

Leavenworth, Washington

Leavenworth is a city in Chelan County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,965 at the 2010 census. The entire town center is modelled on a Bavarian village.-History:...

. In 1967 he graduated from Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...

. He received an undergraduate degree in political science (honors) in 1971 and a law degree in 1974, both from Gonzaga University

Gonzaga University

Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...

. After graduation, he began a career as a trial attorney. Ladenburg was involved in several high-profile criminal cases including the Federal Salmon Scam trials and the Pierce County Racketeering trials.

His wife, Connie, served two terms on the Tacoma City Council from 2002-2010. His brother, Barry, was appointed to the Sea-Tac City Council in 2008 and left office in 2010. His brother, David, is an elected Municipal Court Judge in Tacoma, serving his second term.

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