The King County Executive is the highest elected official representing the government of King County, Washington

King County, Washington

King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....

, USA. The post was established with the implementation of the Home Rule

Home rule

Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....

 Charter for King County on November 5, 1968. Previously the powers of the County Executive were vested in a three-member County Commission, which with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter in 1969 ceased to exist. The County Executive is elected every four years.

The first county executive

County executive

A county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...

 was John Spellman

John Spellman

John Dennis Spellman was the 18th Governor of Washington between 1981 and 1985; before that, he was a member of the King County, Washington, County Commission from 1967 to 1969 and the King County Executive from 1969 to 1981. He was a Republican and his opponent in the 1980 election was then-State...

, from 1969 to 1981. The current Executive is Dow Constantine, elected to replace Ron Sims since he resigned to become Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 administration on May 8, 2009.

List of Executives

Parties

Order	King County Executive		Took office	Left office	Party	Terms
1		John Spellman John Spellman John Dennis Spellman was the 18th Governor of Washington between 1981 and 1985; before that, he was a member of the King County, Washington, County Commission from 1967 to 1969 and the King County Executive from 1969 to 1981. He was a Republican and his opponent in the 1980 election was then-State...	March, 1969	January, 1981	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	3+
2		Ron Dunlap	January 14, 1981	November 18, 1981	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	<1
3		Randy Revelle Randy Revelle Randy Revelle was the third King County Executive, having served from his election in November 1981 until January 1, 1986. Revelle received some national attention when shortly after his election the Seattle Post Intelligencer disclosed that Revelle suffered from Bipolar disorder...	November 18, 1981	January 1, 1986	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1
4		Tim Hill Tim Hill (politician) Timothy Henry Hill is an American politician who has held numerous public offices in Washington, including two terms as King County Executive. He also served several years on the Seattle City Council, and in the Washington House of Representatives. Hill also lost numerous high profile elections,...	January 1, 1986	January 4, 1994	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	2
5		Gary Locke Gary Locke Gary Locke may refer to:*Gary Locke , Chinese American politician; U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former Governor of Washington*Gary Locke *Gary Locke...	January 4, 1994	January 15, 1997	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	<1
6		Ron Sims Ron Sims Ronald Cordell Sims, , is currently the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, having been confirmed by the Senate on May 6, 2009 and sworn in on May 8. He is also the former King County Executive...	January 15, 1997	May 8, 2009	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	2+
7		Kurt Triplett Kurt Triplett Kurt Triplett was the 7th King County Executive in Washington, United States. The Metropolitan King County Council appointed Triplett who had previously been Chief of Staff to Ron Sims, prior to Sim's resignation as King County Executive in order to serve as Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban...	May 8, 2009	November 24, 2009	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	<1
8		Dow Constantine Dow Constantine Dow Constantine is an American politician in the state of Washington where he currently serves as King County Executive, an office he has held since November 2009. He was previously in the state legislature and on the King County Council, chairing the latter before his election as Executive...	November 24, 2009	Incumbent	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	<1