Harriet Spanel

Harriet Rosa (née Albertsen) Spanel (January 15, 1939 – February 2, 2016) was an American politician and community volunteer.

Spanel was born in Audubon, Iowa and grew up on a farm. She graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1961. She worked as a computer programmer for the Atomic Energy Commission at the Ames National Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. In 1964, Spanel, her husband, and their family moved to Bellevue, Washington. In 1968, Spanel, her husband, and their family moved to Bellingham, Washington. Spanel served on the Bellingham Planning Commission and on the Bellingham Parks and Recreation Commission. She was also involved with voter registration and studied at Fairhaven College at Western Washington University. Spanel served as a Democrat in the Washington House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993 and in the Washington State Senate from 1993 to 2009. She was also the Democratic nominee for Washington's 2nd congressional district in 1994 to succeed retiring Democratic incumbent Al Swift; she lost to former state senator Jack Metcalf with 45.34% of the vote. Spanel died at her home in Bellingham, Washington.