Unsoeld, Jolene, 1931-

Jolene Unsoeld (born December 3, 1931) is an American mountaineer, educator, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Washington's 3rd Congressional district from 1989 to 1995.

Born Jolene Bishoprick in Corvallis, Oregon, she grew up in Oregon, Canada, and China before her family settled in Vancouver, Washington. From 1949 to 1951, Jolene Bishoprick attended Oregon State University in Corvallis. In college, she met mountaineer and environmental advocate William (Willi) Unsoeld; the two announced their engagement at the top of Mount Saint Helens before marrying in Vancouver, Washington. Jolene Unsoeld, also an accomplished mountaineer, became the first woman to climb Wyoming’s Grand Teton via its north face. Accompanying her husband to the Himalayas, she spent two years as director of the English Language Institute of Kathmandu, Nepal before returning stateside and settling in Olympia, Washington.

...