Brad Hendrickson Recognized for Decades of Service to Washington Senate.

• Author: South, Holly

When the Washington Senate convened earlier this month, it marked the first session in the past 40 that Brad Hendrickson was not in the building.

At least not in person. But the longtime legislative fixture who recently retired as Senate secretary was in the thoughts of those who were there, including Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, whose opening remarks honored Hendrickson for a "lifetime of excellent public service."

"There aren't many who have seen our state Senate go from fax machines to virtual voting, the way Brad did," said Senate Republican Leader John Braun, serving in his 10th session. "He set an exceptional example for service. In fact, someone calculated Brad had spent more than 3,500 days 'in session.' That's commitment."

Hendrickson grew up on Puget Island, a fishing community of 200 about 95 miles south of the state capital, Olympia. He became an intern--and married another intern--then rose from session aide to caucus staff and Senate administration. Four different Senate secretaries appointed him as their deputy, and he headed up the Senate's IT, accounting and human resources divisions at various times.

Hendrickson became Senate secretary in 2018--"The job I trained for my entire adult life," he said. His tenure was marked by his interests in technology, civic education, his stewardship during the pandemic, his mentorship of dozens of staff and his excellent relationships on both sides of the aisle.

'Perfect Fit'

"Brad was the perfect fit for the job of secretary of the Senate," said Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, who was the most recent to nominate him for the role. "He's experienced but always willing to learn. He's decisive but encourages collaboration. He earned the respect of members, staff and everyone else who had the good fortune to know him over his long career. He leaves a legacy and a model of how to do this job right."

The chamber's other "Brad H.," Sen. Brad Hawkins, knew better than most the depth and breadth of Hendrickson's work. "Because, periodically, my colleagues would (mistakenly) send me emails on a variety of matters I didn't understand and later apologize for the Outlook autofill errors," he said, laughing. "I am very thankful to Brad for his many years of dedicated public service. He made tremendous, noticeable contributions to the Senate during his time as secretary of the Senate."

A member of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries for decades, Hendrickson served for several years in...