Tom Foley

Washington Democrat who served as Speaker from 1989 to 1995 and lost his own seat in the 1994 Republican wave.

Overview

Foley represented eastern Washington for thirty years beginning in 1965, chairing the Agriculture Committee and rising through the leadership as majority whip and majority leader. When Jim Wright resigned in 1989, Foley became Speaker, valued for his courtesy, institutional respect, and willingness to work across the aisle. His speakership saw the 1990 budget agreement and the passage of much of Bill Clinton's early agenda. In the 1994 midterm elections he narrowly lost his district, becoming the first sitting Speaker defeated for reelection since Galusha Grow in 1862. He later served as ambassador to Japan.