Mary Lou Dickerson was a Democratic representative of the 36th Legislative District which encompasses part of northwestern Seattle including the neighborhoods of Ballard, Magnolia, and Queen Anne. She was appointed to serve an unexpired term in November, 1994 and served until her retirement in 2013. Dickerson was born on September 3, 1946 in Salem, Oregon. She received her B.S. in Journalism from the University of Oregon, Master of Social Work from the University of Hawaii, and conducted post-graduate work in Business and Public Administration. Dickerson helped found Treehouse, a nonprofit serving youth in foster care, and the Ballard Family Center. She also served as past Chair for the Washington Coalition of Public Schools Foundation and a past board member of the Children's Alliance.

Her Legislative career focused on the needs of Washington's children and families, education, the environment, and transportation solutions. During her time in office, she served on various committees including Transportation, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Early Learning and Human Services, Ways & Means, Ecology and Parks, Environmental Health, and Human Services. She also served on the Family Policy Council and Economic Forecast Council.

Source: Women in the Washington Legislature, Washington House Democrats archived website