- Albert Rosellini
Infobox Governor
name= Albert Rosellini
caption=
order= 15th
office= Governor of Washington
term_start= 1957
term_end= 1965
lieutenant=
predecessor=Arthur Langlie
successor=Daniel J. Evans
birth_date= birth date and age|1910|1|21
birth_place=Tacoma, Washington ,United States
death_date=
death_place=
spouse=
profession=Lawyer
party= Democrat
religion=
footnotes=Albert Dean Rosellini (born
January 21 ,1910 ) is a lawyer from theU.S. state ofWashington . Rosellini is a member of the Democratic Party and served in theWashington Legislature before his two terms as Governor (1957–1965). Rosellini is currently the oldest living former Governor in theUnited States , and was the firstItalian American Catholic governor elected west of theMississippi River . [http://www.awb.org/cgi-bin/absolutenm/templates/?a=233&z=3] He was nicknamed "Taxellini" by his detractors and "The Gov." by his supporters.Rosellini was born in
Tacoma, Washington . He was alawyer and was vilified for defending the son of family friends, Frank Colacurcio Sr., from a rape charge. He was elected to the Washington Senate from the 33rd district, where he served from 1939 to 1947. Rosellini was governor from 1957 to 1965. The longestfloating bridge in the world, which was opened in 1963 and carries State Route 520 overLake Washington from Seattle to Medina was renamed in honor of Rosellini through an act of theWashington State Legislature in 1988. The bridge's official name is now the Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge–Evergreen Point, though it is still commonly known as theEvergreen Point Floating Bridge . Rosellini is a member ofTau Kappa Epsilon . In 1962, he was the Grand Marshal of theTournament of Roses Parade .After leaving office in 1965, Rosellini returned to the practice of law and is still an active member of the state bar. Rosellini also become a political consultant, specializing in matters of the liquor and entertainment industries. He has owned a gas station/convenience store/car wash that borders a Colacurcio-owned strip club named "Rick's" and has owned various other properties. His other business investments include a business broker company, an oil firm, Fortune Oil Company Inc., and a beer distribution company, Premium Distributors. Remaining active in the political arena, Rosellini attends fundraisers and helps candidates raise funds for campaigns.
In 2003, Rosellini was reported to have delivered campaign contributions to
Seattle City Council members on behalf of Seattle club ownerFrank Colacurcio, Sr. in the "Strippergate" case. However, he was not charged in the case, and King County ProsecutorNorm Maleng stated, "There was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing on the part of former Governor Albert Rosellini." [cite news|author=Modie, Neil and Sam Skolnik|title=Two Colacurcios face charges over 'Strippergate'|date=2005-07-13 |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/232325_strippergate13.html]At age 98, Rosellini is still active in politics, is influential in the Democratic Party, and remains an active businessman. He has served as mentor to many political figures, including current Washington governor
Christine Gregoire and former governor Gary Locke.Notes and references
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