Washington Commissioner of Public Lands

Washington Commissioner of Public Lands
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$161,905
2024-25 FY Budget:	$792,117,000
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Washington State Constitution, Article 3, Section 2
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder(s)
Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove Democratic Party Assumed office: January 13, 2025
Elections
Next election:	November 7, 2028
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Other Washington Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education• • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner• Natural Resources Commissioner• Labor Commissioner• Public Service Commissioner

The Washington Commissioner of Public Lands is an elected state executive position in the Washington state government. The commissioner oversees the Washington Department of Natural Resources, which is responsible for environmental protection in the state.

Current officeholder

The current Washington Commissioner of Public Lands is Dave Upthegrove (D). Upthegrove assumed office in 2025.

Authority

Article 3 of the Washington Constitution establishes the state's executive offices.

Article III, Section 2:

Executive Department. The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, and a commissioner of public lands, who shall be severally chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the same time and place of voting as for the members of the legislature.

Qualifications

Article 3, Section 25 of the state constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:

• a citizen of the United States
• a qualified elector in Washington

Qualifications, Compensation, Offices Which May Be Abolished. No person, except a citizen of the United States and a qualified elector of this state, shall be eligible to hold any state office...

Elections

In Washington, the commissioner of public lands is elected every four years. Elections are held in November and winners assume office the following January, serving until a successor is elected and qualified.

2024

See also: Washington Public Lands Commissioner election, 2024

General election candidates

• Dave Upthegrove  (Democratic Party) ✔
• Jaime Herrera Beutler  (Republican Party)

Primary candidates

• Jeralee Anderson  (Democratic Party)
• Jaime Herrera Beutler  (Republican Party) ✔
• Patrick DePoe  (Democratic Party) 
• Allen Lebovitz  (Democratic Party) 
• Sue Kuehl Pederson  (Republican Party)
• Dave Upthegrove  (Democratic Party) ✔
• Kevin Van De Wege  (Democratic Party) 

Did not make the ballot:

• Mona Das
• Rebecca Saldana

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

2020

See also: Washington Natural Resources Commissioner election, 2020

General election candidates

• Hilary Franz  (Incumbent) (Democratic Party) ✔
• Sue Kuehl Pederson  (Republican Party)

Primary candidates

• Hilary Franz  (Incumbent) (Democratic Party) ✔
• Maryam Abasbarzy  (Republican Party)
• Sue Kuehl Pederson  (Republican Party) ✔
• Kelsey Reyes  (Libertarian Party)
• Stephen Sharon  (Republican Party)
• Frank Wallbrown  (Democratic Party)
• Cameron Whitney  (Republican Party)

2016

See also: Washington Natural Resources Commissioner election, 2016

The general election for commissioner of public lands was held on November 8, 2016.

Hilary Franz defeated Steve McLaughlin in the Washington commissioner of public lands election.

Washington Natural Resources Commissioner, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Hilary Franz	53.16%	1,630,369
	Republican	Steve McLaughlin	46.84%	1,436,817
Total Votes				3,067,186
Source: Washington Secretary of State

Full history

To view the electoral history dating back to 2000 for the office of Washington Commissioner of Public Lands, click [show] to expand the section.

2012 See also: Washington down ballot state executive elections, 2012 Incumbent Peter Goldmark (D) won re-election on November 6, 2012. 2012 General Election Results for Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Washington Commissioner of Public Lands General Election, 2012 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Peter Goldmark Incumbent 58.7% 1,692,083      Republican Clint Didier 41.3% 1,188,411 Total Votes 2,880,494 Election results via Washington Secretary of State 2008 On November 4, 2008, Peter J. Goldmark won election to the office of Washington Commissioner of Public Lands. He defeated Doug Sutherland (R) in the general election. Washington Commissioner of Public Lands, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Peter J. Goldmark 50.6% 1,416,904      Republican Doug Sutherland Incumbent 49.4% 1,385,903 Total Votes 2,802,807 Election results via Washington Secretary of State. 2004 On November 2, 2004, Doug Sutherland won re-election to the office of Washington Commissioner of Public Lands. He defeated Mike Cooper (D) and Steve Layman (L) in the general election. Washington Commissioner of Public Lands, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Doug Sutherland Incumbent 50% 1,309,441      Democratic Mike Cooper 46.7% 1,223,207      Libertarian Steve Layman 3.4% 88,171 Total Votes 2,620,819 Election results via Washington Secretary of State. 2000 On November 7, 2000, Doug Sutherland won election to the office of Washington Commissioner of Public Lands. He defeated Mike Lowry (D) and Steve Layman (L) in the general election. Washington Commissioner of Public Lands, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Doug Sutherland 49.5% 1,154,048      Democratic Mike Lowry 45.1% 1,052,366      Libertarian Steve Layman 5.4% 125,985 Total Votes 2,332,399 Election results via Washington Secretary of State.

Vacancies

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that details the process of filling vacancies for a state executive office. That information for the Washington Commissioner of Public Lands has not yet been added. After extensive research, we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

Duties

As of January 2021, the stated duties of the commissioner were:

“

The Commissioner of Public Lands administers the state Department of Natural Resources and its 1,500 employees, directs the management of 5.6 million acres of state-owned lands, supervises DNR's wildfire protection on millions of acres of state and private forest lands and chairs the state’s Board of Natural Resources and the Forest Practices Board. As such, the Commissioner oversees: 3 million acres of state trust lands that provide sustainable non-tax revenue for state and county services and public school construction projects. 2.6 million acres of aquatic lands to protect habitat while providing access to commerce, navigation and public uses. Trust lands (both uplands and aquatic) are simultaneously managed to provide vital habitat for many native plant and animal species, produce sustainable revenues for various beneficiaries and provide outdoor public recreation opportunities. The state's largest on-call fire department, responsible for preventing and fighting wildfires on 13 million acres of private, state and tribal-owned forestlands. The State Forester, who facilitates community wildfire preparedness resources and funding, as well as Washington's state-wide community forestry programs. The Washington State State Geologist and Washington State Geology Survey which produces maps and data used by researchers, geologists, civil engineers and planners to inform industry, community development and public safety. Washington's Natural Areas Program, which safeguards the finest remaining examples of native ecosystems in state ownership. The Commissioner of Public Lands also facilitates: The Board of Natural Resources, which adopts policies, approves major commodity sales, and makes decisions about transactions of state lands managed by DNR. The Board, whose membership represents the major beneficiaries of state trust lands, also establishes sustainable harvest level for forested trust lands and other policies. The Forest Practices Board, which administers rules for activities that occur in Washington forests. These rules guide logging, road construction, brush control and other work in the woods to protect public safety and resources on about 12 million acres of state and privately owned forestlands.

”

Divisions

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Washington Commissioner of Public Lands has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

State budget

See also: Washington state budget and finances

The budget for the Washington Department of Natural Resources in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 was $792,117,000.

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

Article III, Section 23 of the state constitution initially set the annual salary of the commissioner at $2,000 but allowed for the state legislature to increase it.

2023

In 2023, the officer's salary was $161,905, according to the Council of State Governments.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $153,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the commissioner received a salary of $153,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the commissioner received a salary of $145,860 according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the commissioner received a salary of $138,225 according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the commissioner received a salary of $135,515 according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the commissioner received a salary of $132,858 according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the commissioner received a salary of $130,253 according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the commissioner received a salary of $124,050 according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the commissioner received a salary of $121,618 according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the commissioner was paid an estimated $121,618. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.

2012

In 2012, the commissioner was paid an estimated $121,618 according to the Council of State Governments.

Historical officeholders

There have been 15 commissioners of public lands in Washington since 1889. Of the 15 officeholders, 6 were Republicans, 8 were Democrats, and one was a member of the Fusion/People's Party.

List of officeholders from 1889-Present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	William T. Forrest	1889 - 1897	Republican
2	Robert Bridges	1897 - 1901	People's Party
3	S.A. Calvert	1901 - 1905	Republican
4	E.W. Ross	1905 - 1913	Republican
5	Clark V. Savidge	1913 - 1933	Republican
6	Albert C. Martin	1933 - 1941	Democratic
7	Jack Taylor	1941 - 1945	Democratic
8	Otto A. Case	1945 - 1949	Democratic
7	Jack Taylor	1949 - 1953	Democratic
8	Otto A. Case	1953 - 1957	Democratic
9	Bert Cole	1957 - 1981	Democratic
10	Brian Boyle	1981 - 1993	Republican
11	Jennifer Belcher	1993 - 2001	Democratic
12	Doug Sutherland	2001- 2009	Republican
13	Peter Goldmark	2009-2017	Democratic
14	Hilary Franz	2017 - 2025	Democratic
15	Dave Upthegrove	2025 - Present	Democratic

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Washington Commissioner Public Lands. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Washington Commissioner of Public Lands - Google News

Contact information

Washington Department of Natural Resources
Natural Resources Building
MS 47000, Olympia, WA 98504
1111 Washington St. SE, Olympia, WA 98504
Phone: (360) 902-1000​

External links

Suggest a link

• Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands