Salem is the capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon,and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River,which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties,and the city neighborhood of West Salem is in Polk County. Salem was founded in 1842,became the capital of the Oregon Territory in 1851,and was incorporated in 1857.
The Independent Party of Oregon (IPO) is a centrist political party in the U.S. state of Oregon with more than 140,000 registrants since its inception in January 2007. The IPO is Oregon's third-largest political party and the first political party other than the Democratic Party and Republican Party to be recognized by the state of Oregon as a major political party.
Peter Michael Coleman Courtney is an American politician,lawyer,and professor who was a Democratic member of the Oregon State Senate,representing the 11th District since 1999. He served as President of the Senate from 2003 to 2023. He was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives in 1981,1983,and from 1989 through 1998. Courtney previously taught at Western Oregon University.
Vicki Berger is an American businessperson and politician in the state of Oregon. A native Oregonian,she is a Salem civic leader and a former Republican member of the Oregon House of Representatives. Her father,Richard Chambers,came up with the idea for the Oregon Bottle Bill.
Denyc Nicole Boles is an American politician from the state of Oregon. A Republican,she was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2014 to 2015 and from 2018 to 2019. She served in the Oregon State Senate,representing the 10th district,from 2019 to 2021.
Anna M. Peterson is an American politician who served as Mayor of Salem,the state capital of Oregon,from 2011 until 2016. She is married to Edwin J. Peterson,who was Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court from 1983 until 1991. A Republican,and the third woman to hold the non-partisan office,Peterson became mayor on January 11,2011,when she succeeded Janet Taylor.
Chuck Bennett is an American politician who formerly served as mayor of Salem,Oregon,and is a former state representative.
James Franklin Short (1902-1986) was an American businessman,rancher,and politician from the state of Oregon. He was a Republican who served one two-year term in the Oregon House of Representatives,where he represented a large rural district in central and southcentral Oregon. He also served two separate periods as Oregon's director of agriculture. He was originally appointed to the position by Governor Paul L. Patterson. He then continued his service under Elmo Smith followed by a brief time under Robert D. Holmes. Later,he was re-appointed to the position by Governor Mark Hatfield. In between his periods of service in the Oregon Department of Agriculture,Short was state chairman of Oregon's Republican Party.
Kessler Richard Cannon was an American radio broadcaster and state legislator from Oregon. He was a Republican who served two two-year terms in the Oregon House of Representatives. Outside the legislature,Cannon was a broadcaster and executive for radio station KBND in Bend. He also served as Governor Tom McCall's assistant for natural resources before becoming director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
John Herbert Carkin was an American politician,attorney,public service executive,and banker from the state of Oregon. He was a Republican who served nine years in the Oregon House of Representatives,where he represented a district in southern Oregon. He served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives during the 1927 legislative session,elected by a unanimous vote of House members. Later,he served as chairman of the Oregon Tax Commission and was Oregon's Public Utility Commissioner before becoming president of a savings and loan association in Salem,Oregon.
The 81st Oregon Legislative Assembly was the legislative session of the Oregon Legislative Assembly that convened on January 11,2021 and adjourned June 26th. Its even-year short session of 35 days convened on February 1,2022 and adjourned sine die on March 4,2022.
Frank Jackson Van Dyke was an American politician,attorney,and a United States magistrate judge from the state of Oregon. He was a Republican who served eight years in the Oregon House of Representatives,where he represented a district in southern Oregon. He served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives during the 1949 legislative session. He was elected speaker by a unanimous vote of House members. Later,he served as chairman of the Oregon Board of Higher Education,chairman of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education,and chairman of the Oregon State Board of Education. He also served as a federal magistrate for 27 years.
Ernest Rudolph Fatland was an American businessman and politician who served as a state legislator for Oregon. He was a Republican who served six years in the Oregon House of Representatives,where he represented a district in rural north central Oregon. He served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives during the 1939 legislative session. During his time as speaker,Fatland also served as acting governor on several occasions when the elected governor was traveling outside the state. After leaving the state House of Representatives,Fatland was appointed to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Later,he served one four-year term in the Oregon State Senate.
Virgil Conn was an American businessman and state legislator from the state of Oregon. He served two two-year terms in the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican legislator,representing a large rural district in south-central Oregon. He also ran a general store in Paisley,Oregon,and was that town's postmaster for many years. Later in his life,he owned a dairy farm near Roseburg,Oregon.
Ira Francis Marion Butler was an American politician who served in the Oregon Territorial House of Representatives and the Oregon House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party. He served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1857 to 1858,which was the last session before Oregon's statehood. Before immigrating to Oregon,Butler served as sheriff of Warren County,Illinois,and was circuit court clerk for Stephen A. Douglas when he was an Illinois judge. After moving to Oregon in 1853,he operated a farm in Polk County and was later the county's judge.
William Myron King,also known as Colonel King for most of his life,was an American pioneer merchant and Oregon state legislator. He served four terms in Oregon's territorial legislature. This included one term as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives during the 1851 legislative session. Before immigrating to Oregon,King lived and worked in New York,Pennsylvania,Ohio,and Missouri. After moving to Oregon in 1848,he became a merchant in Portland,and was later the county judge for Multnomah County and a member of Portland's city council.
Brady Leonard Adams was an American politician and banker from Grants Pass. He served eight years in the Oregon State Senate from 1993 through 2000. Adams was a conservative Republican who represented two Southern Oregon counties in the state senate. He was President of the Oregon State Senate during the 1997 and 1999 legislative sessions. During his time in the legislature,Adams was known for his ability to work with the state's Democratic governor as well as his peers in the state legislature. Over the years,he also served on the board of directors for more than 20 non-profit organizations.
Nathaniel Holly Gates,also known as Colonel Gates for most of his life,(1811–1889) was an American pioneer lawyer and Oregon state legislator. He was an active Democrat throughout his life. He served four terms in Oregon's territorial legislature. This included one term as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives during the 1858 legislative session. After Oregon became a state in 1859,he served one two-year term in the Oregon House of Representatives and one four-year term in the Oregon State Senate. Before immigrating to Oregon,Gates lived and worked as a lawyer in Ohio and Iowa. After moving to Oregon,he settled in The Dalles and opened a law practice there. He helped develop that community and served as the city's mayor five times in non-consecutive terms.
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.
