User:Paul R Hess/sandbox

Paul R Hess, born in Albany, NY on August 29, 1948, was an American politician who served as a young man in the Kansas Legislature as a Republican. Hess was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1970 at age 22, while a freshman law student at the University of Kansas Law School. He served one two year term (1971-1973) representing the 80th House District in Wichita. Hess was then elected to the Kansas Senate in 1972 at age 24, re-elected in 1976 and 1980, serving three four year terms, totaling 12 years (1973 - 1984) representing the 30th State Senate District in Wichita. During Hess' final four year term (1981 - 1984), he was Chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, handling at that time an annual State budget of approximately $4 billion. Hess ran for State Treasurer in 1974 in the middle of his first four year term in the State Senate, and lost in the August 1974 State Republican Primary to Clay Hedrick, the incumbent State Auditor.

Hess presently is a political operative and serves as the Senior Vice-Chair of the King County (Washington State) Republican Party and is also Chair of the 46th District Republicans in a primarily Seattle legislative district that includes Lake Forest Park and Kenmore. Hess was elected a Washington State Alternate Delegate from the WA 1st Congressional District to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL in 2012, and supported Mitt Romney for President. In 2016, Hess was elected a Washington State At-Large Delegate (one of 11) to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, OH, and under the State Party and National Party rules voted for Donald J Trump for President on the floor of the convention.

Hess graduated with a BA in Political Science from from the University of Washington in 1970. He earned a JD from the University of Kansas Law School in 1974 and practiced business and commercial law for 10 years in Kansas. Hess has been a business consultant for the last three decades primarily in the Seattle area. He has traveled to 76 countries around the world and has lived in the Middle East. Hess presently lives in Kenmore, WA, on a small alapca farm with his wife, Jan. He has three sons, Paul, (Lawrence, KS), John (Topeka, KS) and Mack (Williston, ND), and two step-sons, John Ness and Matt Ness, who both live in the Seattle area. He has two grandchildren and six step grandchildren.