Current:Home > InvestPeter Courtney, Oregon’s longest-serving state lawmaker, dies at 81-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Peter Courtney, Oregon’s longest-serving state lawmaker, dies at 81
View Date:2024-12-23 21:18:05
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Peter Courtney, Oregon’s longest-serving lawmaker and a politician who was known for his bipartisanship and skills as a dealmaker, died Tuesday, officials said. He was 81.
Courtney died of complications from cancer at his home in Salem, Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement.
Courtney served 38 years in the Legislature, including stints in the House and Senate. He spent 20 years in the powerful role of Senate president, starting in 2003, and maintained control until he retired in January.
Courtney was long one of the more captivating, animated and mercurial figures in Oregon politics. He was known for his skills as a speaker, dealmaker and his insistence on bipartisan support for legislation.
“President Courtney was a friend and ally in supporting an Oregon where everyone can find success and community,” Kotek said in her statement. “His life story, the way he embraced Oregon and public service, and his love for the institution of the Oregon Legislature leaves a legacy that will live on for decades.”
Courtney helped move the Legislature to annual sessions, boosted K-12 school funding, replaced Oregon’s defunct and crumbling state hospital and fought for animal welfare.
Salem has a bridge, housing complex, and state hospital campus all named for him, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
The lawmaker had mixed feelings about such accolades, Oregon Department of Revenue director Betsy Imholt, who once served as Courtney’s chief of staff, told The Oregonian/OregonLive. He’d often say he was a plow horse, not a show horse.
“He didn’t believe in solidifying your legacy,” she said. “He just really believed in ... showing up. Doing your best.”
Sen. Tim Knopp, a Bend Republican who often disagreed with Courtney, called him a friend and “one of the most important elected officials and political figures in Oregon history.”
Courtney was born in Philadelphia. He said he spent his youth helping to care for his mother, who had Parkinson’s disease. He grew up in Rhode Island and West Virginia, where his grandmother helped raise him.
Courtney received a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Rhode Island. He completed law school at Boston University, and moved to Salem in 1969 after learning about an open judicial clerkship in the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Courtney is survived by his wife, Margie, three sons and seven grandchildren, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
veryGood! (53884)
Related
- Father, 5 children hurt in propane tank explosion while getting toys: 'Devastating accident'
- Proof Emily Blunt and Matt Damon's Kids Have the Most Precious Friendship
- Amazon Prime Day 2023 Deal: Save 50% On the Waterpik Water Flosser With 95,800+ 5-Star Reviews
- Herbal supplement kratom targeted by lawsuits after a string of deaths
- Ben Foster Files for Divorce From Laura Prepon After 6 Years of Marriage
- Denied abortion for a doomed pregnancy, she tells Texas court: 'There was no mercy'
- How climate change could cause a home insurance meltdown
- Amazon Prime Day 2023 Fashion Deal: 20% Off This Top-Rated Jumpsuit With Sizes Ranging From Small to 4X
- Bodyless head washes ashore on a South Florida beach
- Chris Hemsworth Shares Rare Glimpse of Marvelous Family Vacation With His 3 Kids
Ranking
- Tech consultant testifies that ‘bad joke’ led to deadly clash with Cash App founder Bob Lee
- After a historic downturn due to the pandemic, childhood immunizations are improving
- Jennifer Aniston’s Go-To Vital Proteins Collagen Powder and Coffee Creamer Are 30% Off for Prime Day 2023
- Inside Kelly Preston and John Travolta's Intensely Romantic Love Story
- The charming Russian scene-stealers of 'Anora' are also real-life best friends
- Amazon Prime Day 2023 Back to College Deals from Tech Must-Haves to Dorm Essentials
- As seas get hotter, South Florida gets slammed by an ocean heat wave
- Taco John's has given up its 'Taco Tuesday' trademark after a battle with Taco Bell
Recommendation
-
Multi-State Offshore Wind Pact Weakened After Connecticut Sits Out First Selection
-
Summer School 2: Competition and the cheaper sneaker
-
Kyle Richards Claps Back at “Damage Control” Claim After Sharing Family Photo With Mauricio Umansky
-
A first-class postal economics primer
-
Kansas basketball vs Michigan State live score updates, highlights, how to watch Champions Classic
-
Sea Level Rise Could Drive 1 in 10 People from Their Homes, with Dangerous Implications for International Peace, UN Secretary General Warns
-
Biden frames his clean energy plan as a jobs plan, obscuring his record on climate
-
Why Chinese Aluminum Producers Emit So Much of Some of the World’s Most Damaging Greenhouse Gases