Tom Owens, 76, lobbyist well-respected for fairness, honesty

Tom Owens never was an elected official. But around the halls of the Legislature, he may have had as much clout as any.

A lobbyist for 35 years, Mr. Owens "was probably as well-known as any lobbyist in Olympia, and as successful," said former business partner Don Brazier.

Mr. Owens, a Seattle resident, died of a heart attack in his north Capitol Hill home early Thursday (Sept. 16). He was 76.

"He was a very close friend, a thoughtful and honest lobbyist," said former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, who said he'd known Mr. Owens for decades, dating back to Gorton's years in the Legislature and as state attorney general.

"He was respected equally by Republicans and Democrats."

In the 1960s, Gorton said, Mr. Owens lobbied on behalf of the California wine industry.

From the end of Prohibition in the 1930s until the 1960s, he said, Washington had a protective tariff against out-of-state wines, including those from California. As a consequence, Washington had a tiny, mediocre wine industry, producing largely cheap wines for sale on Skid Road, Gorton said.

Mr. Owens argued that ending the tariff would expose the Washington industry to competition, forcing state wineries to improve.

"His position was absolutely true," Gorton said. Removal of the tariff resulted in the development of the robust wine industry in the state today, Gorton said.

"He was straight, honest, you could trust him," said Shelby Scates, former political reporter in Olympia for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, who also recalled Mr. Owens' notable parties.

Mr. Owens and his wife, Angela, were known for throwing outstanding parties at which they entertained streams of guests with Italian feasts prepared by members of their family, including Mrs. Owens' father, the late Angelo Pellegrini, a noted UW English professor, winemaker, gardener and cooking author.

"They were a great team," said Mrs. Owens of her husband and her father, telling how her father would prepare world-class meals for the festivities and "Tom would provide his charming personality."

Her husband often used the occasions to resolve conflicting points of view, she said, commonly arranging truces among disparate personalities.

Brazier, a state legislator before he and Mr. Owens forged a partnership in 1982, said Mr. Owens was known in some Olympia circles as "Tommy Raincoat."

"He was known around town for wearing a khaki raincoat with a flap across the back." Underneath, he'd be impeccably attired. "You rarely saw him when he was not in a suit. He was always well-dressed," Brazier said.

Mr. Owens worked out of offices in a large, four-story home at the north edge of Seattle's Capitol Hill, his home for 38 years, as well as from a second residence in the heart of Olympia, not far from the Capitol. Mr. Owens and Brazier were partners from 1982 to 1992.

During his career as a lobbyist, Mr. Owens had counted among his clients Washington Mutual, the Washington Savings League, Safeway stores and the old Washington Physicians Service. In later years, he also lobbied in Washington, D.C., for businesses in this state. He retired in 1996.

Born in Pittsburgh on June 2, 1928, Mr. Owens received a history degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1950 and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, where he was a top-ranked squash player. After he moved to Seattle in 1955, his first job was in the City Attorney's Office.

His wife said he began lobbying as a representative for a trade association in the early 1960s.

Mr. Owens was in good health until his death and recently received an excellent physical report from a doctor, his wife said. He exercised two hours a day, seven days a week, she said.

Mr. Owens was a member of the Washington Athletic Club, the Seattle Golf Club and Seattle Tennis Club. He also was a member of Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Club.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Dena Owens of Seattle; a daughter and son-in-law, Sarah and Scott Lindblad of Seattle; and five grandchildren. Also surviving is a brother, Dr. Edward Owens of Pittsburgh. Arrangements are pending.

Charles E. Brown: 206-464-2206 or cbrown@seattletimes.com; Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com