Derrick Kitts is a Republican politician from Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Washington,he served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives before giving up his seat in an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2006.
The 2008 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 4,2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Gordon H. Smith sought reelection to a third term. Smith was the only Republican Senator from the West Coast and the only Republican holding statewide office in Oregon. He was opposed by Democrat Jeff Merkley,the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives,and David Brownlow of the Constitution Party of Oregon. Merkley won by a narrow margin,with Smith not conceding until two days after the election. Merkley became the first Democrat to win this seat since 1960,and since Smith was the only Republican holding statewide office in Oregon at the time,this was the first time since 1860 that no Republicans won or held statewide office in Oregon. Merkley's inauguration marked the first time since 1967 that Democrats held both of Oregon's United States Senate seats.
Peter Michael Coleman Courtney was an American politician,lawyer,and professor who was a Democratic member of the Oregon State Senate,representing the 11th District from 1999 until 2023. He served as President of the Senate from 2003 to 2023.
Charles Starr is an American politician and farmer in Oregon. He served as a Republican member of the Oregon Legislature for 14 years,serving in both houses. A native of Texas,Starr served in the Oregon State Senate with his son Bruce Starr,the first time in Oregon's history a father and son served in the Senate together.
Larry George is an American politician and businessman in Oregon. He was a Republican member of the Oregon State Senate representing District 13 from 2007 to 2015. Before his election,he was the leader of the political group Oregonians In Action. He is part of the second father-son tandem to serve in the Oregon Senate.
Chuck Riley is an American politician who served as a member of the Oregon State Senate for the 15th district,which includes Hillsboro,Forest Grove,and Cornelius in western Washington County. He served three terms in the Oregon House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011.
Lona Kim Thatcher is an American politician currently serving as a member of the Oregon State Senate for the 11th district since 2023. She previously represented the 13th district from 2015 to 2023,and served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives for the 25th district from 2005 to 2015. She is a resident of Keizer.
The 2012 elections for the Oregon Legislative Assembly determined the composition of both houses for the 77th Oregon Legislative Assembly. The Republican and Democratic primary elections were on May 15,2012,and the general election was on November 6,2012. Sixteen of the Oregon State Senate's 30 seats were up for election,as were all 60 seats of the Oregon House of Representatives.
The 2014 Oregon gubernatorial election was held on November 4,2014,to elect the Governor of Oregon,concurrently with other elections in Oregon and across the United States.
The 2014 elections for the Oregon Legislative Assembly determined the composition of both houses of the state legislature for the 78th Oregon Legislative Assembly. The Republican and Democratic primary elections were held on May 20,2014 with the general election following on November 4,2014.
Alfred Hoyt Corbett was an American attorney,businessman,and politician in the state of Oregon. Born into one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Oregon,he attended Harvard University and then Yale Law School. He served twelve years in the Oregon Legislative Assembly,representing Multnomah County in the Oregon House of Representatives and then the Oregon State Senate.
George Harris Merryman was a country doctor,businessman,and politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. A Republican,he served two non-consecutive terms in the Oregon House of Representatives. In between those terms,he was elected to the Oregon State Senate for one term. In both the house and senate,the districts he represented were large and rural. Merryman was also a pioneer doctor who made house calls by horse and buggy for many years. He later built the first modern hospital in Klamath Falls,Oregon.
Lisa Reynolds is an American physician and politician,currently serving as a member of the Oregon State Senate. A member of the Democratic Party,she represents the 17th district,which includes most of Downtown Portland and the communities of Cedar Mill and Bethany. She previously served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2021 2024.
Gustavus Charles Moser was an American attorney and state legislator from Portland,Oregon. He served twenty years in the Oregon State Senate from 1913 through 1932. Moser was a conservative Republican who represented Multnomah County in the state senate. He was President of the Oregon State Senate twice. The first time was during the 1917–1918 legislative term and then again during the 1925–1926 term. He also served as acting governor for a week in 1926. Moser was a successful attorney who practiced law from 1894 until his death in 1937. As a young lawyer,he served as Multnomah County's deputy district attorney. In that position,he argued several cases before the Oregon Supreme Court. Later,he was appointed chief legal counsel for the Port of Portland.
William Thomas Vinton,known as W. T. Vinton or Billy Vinton,was an American attorney and politician from McMinnville,Oregon. He represented Yamhill County in the Oregon State Senate from 1915 through 1922,as a conservative Republican. He was president of the state senate from 1919 through 1920. In that capacity,he served as acting governor for two short periods in 1919 while the elected governor was out of the state. Vinton was a successful attorney who practiced law from 1892 until his death in 1945.
Roy Wallace Ritner was an American politician and farmer from Pendleton,Oregon. Beginning in 1915,he served two two-year terms in the Oregon House of Representatives followed by two four-year terms in the Oregon State Senate. Ritner was a conservative Republican who represented Umatilla County in both of Oregon's legislative chambers. He was President of the Oregon State Senate from 1921 through 1922. While he was senate president in 1922,he served as acting governor for 35 days while the elected governor was out of the state. Ritner was also a successful wheat farmer and served as the business manager for the Pendleton Round-Up for many years.
George Clayton Brownell was an American politician and attorney from Oregon City,Oregon. He was a conservative Republican who represented Clackamas County in both of Oregon's legislative chambers. He served three four-year terms in the Oregon State Senate and was senate president from 1903 through 1904. Brownell was defeated for re-election after he was implicated in a land fraud scheme. However,he was later exonerated when one of the convicted fraudsters admitted in court that he had forged Brownell's name on the incriminating documents without Brownell's knowledge or consent. Brownell remained very popular in Clackamas County throughout his life. He was elected mayor of Oregon City in 1910 and later served a two-year term in the Oregon House of Representatives.
William Kuykendall was an American politician and physician from Eugene,Oregon. He was a conservative Republican who represented Lane County in the Oregon State Senate. He served two four-year terms in the senate plus an extra year and was senate president from 1905 through 1906. Prior to being elected to the state senate,Kuykendall served as mayor of Eugene. He practiced medicine in Oregon for 56 years and was the founder of Eugene's first hospital. He also taught medicine at Willamette Medical College for several years.
The 83rd Oregon Legislative Assembly is the current session of the Oregon Legislature. It began on January 21,2025. Democrats netted one seat in both the House and the Senate to win a three-fifths supermajority in both chambers,which is required to pass new taxes or update existing taxes. However,they fell short of the two-thirds majority required to unilaterally meet quorum in both houses,needing 2 more seats in the Senate and 4 more seats in the House.
Daniel James Malarkey,known as Dan Malarkey,was an attorney and politician from the state of Oregon. He served one two-year term in the Oregon House of Representatives followed by two non-consecutive four-year terms in the Oregon State Senate. Malarkey was a moderate Republican who represented Multnomah County in both chambers. He served as President of the Oregon Senate during the 1913 legislative session. Malarkey was known as a champion of progressive legislation including sponsoring Oregon’s first public utilities law and the state’s first minimum wage law that covered women. He was also one of the state’s most prominent attorneys for over 40 years. Malarkey actively opposed the influence of the Ku Klux Klan in Oregon. His legal efforts were successful in having a Klan-sponsored education bill declared unconstitutional,a decision that was ultimately upheld by the United States Supreme Court.
