Barbara Roberts
Encyclopedia
Barbara Kay Roberts is an American politician from the state of Oregon
. A native of the state, she served as the 34th Governor of Oregon
from 1991 to 1995. She is the first and, to date, only woman to be elected to that office. A Democrat
, Roberts was also the first woman to serve as majority leader in the Oregon House of Representatives
. She also won two terms as Oregon Secretary of State
and served in local and county government in Portland
. Roberts was married to Oregon State Senator Frank L. Roberts
. Since February 2011, she has served on the council of Metro
, the regional government in the Portland metropolitan area
.
to Bob and Carmen Murray Hughey. Her father, a millworker, was a descendant of Oregon Trail
pioneers. The Hugheys' second daughter Pat was born a few years later and then they moved to Los Angeles, California
in 1940 where her father worked as a machinist
. Following World War II
, the Hugheys returned to Oregon, settling in Gold Creek in Yamhill County
in 1945, and then finally in Sheridan
.
In 1954, she married her high school sweetheart Neal Sanders, graduating the following year from Sheridan High School. The couple moved to Texas, where they had two children, Mike and Mark, before returning to Oregon several years later, settling in Portland
where she attended Portland State University
from 1961 to 1964.
With her older son Mike diagnosed in 1962 as "severely emotionally disturbed" (later identified as autism
), she became an advocate for special-needs children. In 1971, she successfully lobbied the Oregon State Legislature to require public schools to guarantee educational rights to these children. In 1972, her marriage to Neal ended in divorce.
School Board and later, to the Mount Hood Community College
board. In 1974, she married Oregon state representative
and later state senator
Frank L. Roberts
, who became her political mentor. In 1981, she was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives
as a Democrat
, was re-elected in 1983, and was elected Majority Leader
, Oregon's first woman to hold that post.
, the first Democrat elected to that post in over 100 years, and was re-elected in 1988. Her significant achievements as Secretary of State include election reform legislation, the construction of a new state archives building, and broader audit powers for the Secretary of State. The Portland Gay Men's Chorus sang at her inauguration. It is widely believed that this was the first time that a gay identified chorus sang for the inauguration of a statewide elected official of any state. During her second term, Roberts attended an executive program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
.
announced that he would not seek a second term as Governor of Oregon
, Roberts announced her candidacy in the 1990 Oregon gubernatorial election
. She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary
and went on to defeat Republican Attorney General
David B. Frohnmayer
and Independent Al Mobley in the November general election, the first woman elected Governor of Oregon. During that same election, voters passed Ballot Measure 5
, which established constitutional limits on property tax rates.
During her term as Governor, Roberts worked with the Clinton
administration to secure federal waivers and funding for the Oregon Health Plan. She also helped to increase the number of children in the Head Start Program, secured financing for additional units of affordable housing, and developed programs to help move Oregonians from welfare to the workplace. The Roberts administration was known for its strong support of gay rights
and appointed women to positions in state government.
Her husband, Frank Roberts, died in 1993 from prostate cancer
while she was still governor. After his death, Barbara Roberts wrote the book Death Without Denial Grief Without Apology: A Guide for Facing Death and Loss.
There were several factors that were responsible for Roberts' decision not to seek re-election in 1994. They included her low approval rating
with the voters, as well as voters' refusal to pass a measure to enact a sales tax which would have funded the Oregon Health Plan
. As a result of the failed sales tax measure, Roberts was forced to break her campaign promise not to cut spending.
as director of the Harvard Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government and later as a senior fellow to the Women and Public Policy Program. In 1998, Roberts joined Portland State University
's Hatfield School of Government's Executive Leadership Institute as Associate Director of Leadership Development.
Roberts has continued community service, sitting on the board of trustees for several major nonprofit organizations, including the Oregon Hospice Association, the Human Rights Campaign, and the advisory council of Oregon’s Compassion in Dying. She has also maintained an active public speaking career, addressing issues of death and grieving, leadership, women in politics, and environmental stewardship. Roberts has two sons, Mark and Mike.
Roberts High School
in Salem, Oregon
, was named after her in 1996.
council, the Portland
metropolitan area
's elected regional government, after Robert Liberty resigned in January from his position as councillor representing Metro district 6. Roberts was appointed to the council in February, to fill the remainder (about 22 months) of Liberty's four-year term, by a vote of the council. Although Metro council positions are publicly elected offices, an election is not required when filling a council vacancy in mid-term. She was sworn in on February 24, 2011. Metro district 6 includes portions of Northeast, Southeast and Southwest Portland. She has said she will not be a candidate for the position when it next comes due for election, in May 2012, and the term expires at the end of 2012.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. A native of the state, she served as the 34th Governor of Oregon
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
from 1991 to 1995. She is the first and, to date, only woman to be elected to that office. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Roberts was also the first woman to serve as majority leader in the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
. She also won two terms as Oregon Secretary of State
Oregon Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the Governor. The duties of office are: auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public...
and served in local and county government in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Roberts was married to Oregon State Senator Frank L. Roberts
Frank L. Roberts
Frank Livezey Roberts was an American politician from the state of Oregon. A Democrat, Roberts served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. He served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives and most of five terms in the Oregon Senate before resigning due to poor health...
. Since February 2011, she has served on the council of Metro
Metro (Oregon regional government)
Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
, the regional government in the Portland metropolitan area
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
.
Early life
Roberts was born Barbara Kay Hughey on December 21, 1936 in Corvallis, OregonCorvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
to Bob and Carmen Murray Hughey. Her father, a millworker, was a descendant of Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
pioneers. The Hugheys' second daughter Pat was born a few years later and then they moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1940 where her father worked as a machinist
Machinist
A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...
. Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Hugheys returned to Oregon, settling in Gold Creek in Yamhill County
Yamhill County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Siuslaw National Forest *Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 84,992 people, 28,732 households, and 21,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 119 people per square mile . There were 30,270...
in 1945, and then finally in Sheridan
Sheridan, Oregon
Sheridan is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Platted in the 1860s when it received a post office, the city was incorporated in 1880. A major fire burned much of the city in 1913, and a flood covered much of the city in 1964...
.
In 1954, she married her high school sweetheart Neal Sanders, graduating the following year from Sheridan High School. The couple moved to Texas, where they had two children, Mike and Mark, before returning to Oregon several years later, settling in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
where she attended Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
from 1961 to 1964.
With her older son Mike diagnosed in 1962 as "severely emotionally disturbed" (later identified as autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
), she became an advocate for special-needs children. In 1971, she successfully lobbied the Oregon State Legislature to require public schools to guarantee educational rights to these children. In 1972, her marriage to Neal ended in divorce.
Political career
In 1973, she was elected to ParkroseParkrose School District
The Parkrose School District is in Portland, Oregon. The district contains four elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. It is a K-12 district with an enrollment of approximately 3,700 .-History:...
School Board and later, to the Mount Hood Community College
Mount Hood Community College
Mt. Hood Community College is a public community college in Gresham, Oregon, United States, named after Mount Hood. Opened in 1966, MHCC enrolls nearly 26,000 students each year and offers classes at the main campus in Gresham, the MHCC Maywood Park Center, and evening education centers at area...
board. In 1974, she married Oregon state representative
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
and later state senator
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
Frank L. Roberts
Frank L. Roberts
Frank Livezey Roberts was an American politician from the state of Oregon. A Democrat, Roberts served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. He served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives and most of five terms in the Oregon Senate before resigning due to poor health...
, who became her political mentor. In 1981, she was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, was re-elected in 1983, and was elected Majority Leader
Majority leader
In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...
, Oregon's first woman to hold that post.
Secretary of State
In 1984, Roberts was elected as Oregon Secretary of StateOregon Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the Governor. The duties of office are: auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public...
, the first Democrat elected to that post in over 100 years, and was re-elected in 1988. Her significant achievements as Secretary of State include election reform legislation, the construction of a new state archives building, and broader audit powers for the Secretary of State. The Portland Gay Men's Chorus sang at her inauguration. It is widely believed that this was the first time that a gay identified chorus sang for the inauguration of a statewide elected official of any state. During her second term, Roberts attended an executive program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Governor
Shortly after incumbent Democratic governor Neil GoldschmidtNeil Goldschmidt
Neil Edward Goldschmidt is an American businessman and former Democratic politician from Oregon who held local, state, and federal offices over three decades. After serving as the governor of Oregon, Goldschmidt is widely considered the most influential figure in the state's politics, both as an...
announced that he would not seek a second term as Governor of Oregon
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
, Roberts announced her candidacy in the 1990 Oregon gubernatorial election
Oregon gubernatorial election, 1990
The 1990 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1990. Democratic nominee Barbara Roberts defeated Republican David B. Frohnmayer and Independent Al Mobley to win the election.-Results:-References:...
. She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
and went on to defeat Republican Attorney General
Oregon Attorney General
The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan election to serve a term...
David B. Frohnmayer
David B. Frohnmayer
Dave Frohnmayer was the 15th President of the University of Oregon. He was appointed president on July 1, 1994. His last day as president was June 30, 2009. His tenure as president is the second-longest after John Wesley Johnson. He is the first native of the U.S. state of Oregon to run the...
and Independent Al Mobley in the November general election, the first woman elected Governor of Oregon. During that same election, voters passed Ballot Measure 5
Oregon Ballot Measure 5 (1990)
Ballot Measure 5 was a landmark piece of direct legislation in the U.S. state of Oregon in 1990. Measure 5, an amendment to the Oregon Constitution , established limits on Oregon's property taxes on real estate....
, which established constitutional limits on property tax rates.
During her term as Governor, Roberts worked with the Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
administration to secure federal waivers and funding for the Oregon Health Plan. She also helped to increase the number of children in the Head Start Program, secured financing for additional units of affordable housing, and developed programs to help move Oregonians from welfare to the workplace. The Roberts administration was known for its strong support of gay rights
LGBT social movements
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender social movements share inter-related goals of social acceptance of sexual and gender minorities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies have a long history of campaigning for what is generally called LGBT rights, also called gay...
and appointed women to positions in state government.
Her husband, Frank Roberts, died in 1993 from prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
while she was still governor. After his death, Barbara Roberts wrote the book Death Without Denial Grief Without Apology: A Guide for Facing Death and Loss.
There were several factors that were responsible for Roberts' decision not to seek re-election in 1994. They included her low approval rating
Approval rating
In the United States, presidential job approval ratings were introduced by George Gallup in the late 1930s to gauge public support for the President of the United States during his term. An approval rating is a percentage determined by a polling which indicates the percentage of respondents to an...
with the voters, as well as voters' refusal to pass a measure to enact a sales tax which would have funded the Oregon Health Plan
Oregon Health Plan
- History :The Oregon Health Plan was conceived and realized by emergency room doctor John Kitzhaber, then a state senator, and Dr. Ralph Crawshaw, a Portland activist....
. As a result of the failed sales tax measure, Roberts was forced to break her campaign promise not to cut spending.
Later life and family
Soon after she left office, Roberts accepted a position at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as director of the Harvard Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government and later as a senior fellow to the Women and Public Policy Program. In 1998, Roberts joined Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
's Hatfield School of Government's Executive Leadership Institute as Associate Director of Leadership Development.
Roberts has continued community service, sitting on the board of trustees for several major nonprofit organizations, including the Oregon Hospice Association, the Human Rights Campaign, and the advisory council of Oregon’s Compassion in Dying. She has also maintained an active public speaking career, addressing issues of death and grieving, leadership, women in politics, and environmental stewardship. Roberts has two sons, Mark and Mike.
Roberts High School
Roberts High School
Roberts High School provides non-traditional educational programs in the Salem-Keizer Public School District. Rather than a centralized campus, Roberts High School consists of departments at different sites in Salem and Keizer, Oregon. These branch sites include the Downtown Learning Center,...
in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital 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...
, was named after her in 1996.
Return to government service
In early 2011, Roberts returned to government service, as a member of the six-person MetroMetro (Oregon regional government)
Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
council, the Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
metropolitan area
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
's elected regional government, after Robert Liberty resigned in January from his position as councillor representing Metro district 6. Roberts was appointed to the council in February, to fill the remainder (about 22 months) of Liberty's four-year term, by a vote of the council. Although Metro council positions are publicly elected offices, an election is not required when filling a council vacancy in mid-term. She was sworn in on February 24, 2011. Metro district 6 includes portions of Northeast, Southeast and Southwest Portland. She has said she will not be a candidate for the position when it next comes due for election, in May 2012, and the term expires at the end of 2012.