Norma Paulus
Encyclopedia
Norma Paulus is an American attorney and former politician in the state
of Oregon
. A native of Nebraska
, she was raised in Eastern Oregon
before becoming a lawyer. A Republican
, she first held political office as a representative in the Oregon House of Representatives
, and then became the first woman to hold a statewide elected office in Oregon when she became Oregon Secretary of State
in 1977. Paulus later served as Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
for nine years. She had failed bids to become Governor of Oregon
and United States Senator. She lives in Portland
where she is involved with several non-profit groups and sponsored a ballot measure
to create open primaries in Oregon's statewide elections.
, on March 13, 1933. She was raised as one of seven children in Eastern Oregon
, where she graduated from Burns Union High School
in Burns
, in 1950. Paulus started her career as the secretary for the district attorney
for Harney County in Burns, Oregon
.
After recovering from polio she moved to Salem, Oregon
(the state's capitol), and worked as a legal secretary, including working for Oregon Supreme Court
Chief Justice Earl C. Latourette
. At this time Latourette recommended Paulus to attend law school, which she did at Willamette University
without a college degree, enrolling in 1956. While in law school
she met her future husband William G. Paulus. Norma Paulus graduated with honors from Willamette University College of Law
in Salem with a LL.B.
in 1962. Following law school Paulus worked in private practice until entering politics.
to the Oregon House of Representatives
in 1970. Elected as a Republican, she represented Salem and Marion County
in District 11. She won re-election in 1972 and 1974 to additional two-year terms in the House with her district changing to District 31, serving through the 1975 special legislative session. Paulus was then elected as Oregon's first female Secretary of State
in 1976, the first time a woman won election to a statewide office in Oregon.
She took office on January 3, 1977, and served through January 7, 1985, after winning re-election to a second four-year term in 1980. Paulus keeps a small statue of a lion
on a desk in her downtown Portland
home that was given to her in October 1981 by the northeast Portland Lions Club when she was inducted as their first female member. The next day, Paulus was visited in her office at the Oregon Capitol by the president of the statewide Oregon Lions Club. He had come to ask Paulus to return the Portland club's gift. He did not think the statue – or membership into the club – should have been given to a woman.
She was one of the speakers at a national conference for women legislators in 1982. Paulus remarked in her speech that “We have come a long way” referring to women in politics. In 1984, followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
bused homeless people to Wasco County
in an attempt to sway local elections. As Secretary of State, Paulus recommended the county institute emergency procedures to restrict these transients from registering to vote, which the Rajneeshes challenged in federal court. At that time Oregon allowed citizens to register to vote on the same day as an election. Then federal district judge Edward Leavy
ruled against the Rajneeshes, determining the emergency procedures were proper. The religious sect later faced government investigations over immigration fraud, a related failed murder plot
, and the first bioterrorist attack
in the United States.
Following her two terms as the Secretary of State, Paulus ran for governor
in 1986. She won the Republican primary in May, but lost to Democrat
Neil Goldschmidt
in the November election. While campaigning for the office she had been a critic of the new MAX Light Rail that opened that year. Paulus was appointed by President Ronald Reagan
to help oversee the 1986 Filipino
presidential elections.
Goldschmidt later appointed her as Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
on October 1, 1990. Paulus won election to a full four-year term in that office later in the year, and was re-elected in 1994. Paulus then ran for the United States Senate
in the December 5, 1995, special primary election. The election was for the nominations to replace Bob Packwood
who resigned. Paulus lost to Gordon Smith in the Republican primary. Smith then lost to Ron Wyden
in the general election
before he was elected later in 1996 to fill the vacancy left when Mark Hatfield
retired.
As state superintendent, Paulus helped introduce statewide assessment testing for grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 in 1991. Other education reforms introduced that year were the Certificate of Initial Mastery
(CIM) and Certificate of Advanced Mastery (CAM) that were designed to replace the high school diploma
in Oregon. These were optional programs which were part of a broader program that included issuing a report card outlining the progress as a state, as required by a law the state legislature passed in 1991. Paulus also supported school to work
initiatives for reforming public education while in office, which were part of the 1991 reforms. At the time Paulus was one of only ten women in the nation to hold the top education position in their state. She left the office on January 4, 1999, after two terms. In 2007, the Oregon Legislature eliminated the optional certificates from schools in the state.
. She has been conferred with honorary degree
s by Willamette University
in 1999, Whitman College
, Lewis & Clark College
, and Linfield College
. In December 2000, she was appointed as the executive director of the Oregon Historical Society
and served in that position until 2003. Since April 2000, Paulus has served on the Oregon State Capitol Foundation Board. She is an original member of the organization and has served as chair of the group. She also serves on the boards of the High Desert Museum in Bend
, the Oregon Coast Aquarium
in Newport
, and the City Club of Portland
. In 2004, she received University of Oregon's Distinguished Service Award.
She worked to raise funds for a statue honoring former governor and longtime friend Tom McCall
, with the statue completed and installed in Salem along the Willamette River
in 2008. In 2008, Paulus and co-petitioner Phil Keisling
, also a former Oregon Secretary of State, brought Ballot Measure 65
to the November ballot, in an effort to reform the state's primary election system for partisan races.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
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 Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, she was raised in Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
before becoming a lawyer. A Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, she first held political office as a representative 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....
, and then became the first woman to hold a statewide elected office in Oregon when she became 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...
in 1977. Paulus later served as Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, is a constitutional office within the executive branch of the Oregon state government, and acts as administrative officer of the State Board of Education and executive head of the Department of...
for nine years. She had failed bids to become 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....
and United States Senator. She lives 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 is involved with several non-profit groups and sponsored a ballot measure
Oregon Ballot Measure 65 (2008)
Ballot Measure 65 was an initiated state statute ballot measure for the November 4, 2008 general election ballot in the state of Oregon. If it had passed, it would have replaced the current closed primary election system, in which only registered members of a political party may vote in that...
to create open primaries in Oregon's statewide elections.
Early life
Norma Jean Petersen was born in Belgrade, NebraskaBelgrade, Nebraska
Belgrade is a village in Nance County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 134 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Belgrade is located at ....
, on March 13, 1933. She was raised as one of seven children in Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
, where she graduated from Burns Union High School
Burns High School (Oregon)
-Academics:In 1987 and 1991, Burns High School was honored in the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest honor a school can receive in the United States.In 2008, 82% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma...
in Burns
Burns, Oregon
Burns is a city in and the county seat of Harney County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 2,806.-History:Burns was established in the early 1880s and incorporated upon Harney county's creation in 1889...
, in 1950. Paulus started her career as the secretary for the district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for Harney County in Burns, Oregon
Burns, Oregon
Burns is a city in and the county seat of Harney County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 2,806.-History:Burns was established in the early 1880s and incorporated upon Harney county's creation in 1889...
.
After recovering from polio she moved to 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...
(the state's capitol), and worked as a legal secretary, including working for Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
Chief Justice Earl C. Latourette
Earl C. Latourette
Earl Cornelius Latourette was the 32nd Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and a Clackamas County Circuit Court judge...
. At this time Latourette recommended Paulus to attend law school, which she did at Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
without a college degree, enrolling in 1956. While in law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
she met her future husband William G. Paulus. Norma Paulus graduated with honors from Willamette University College of Law
Willamette University College of Law
Willamette University College of Law is a private law school located in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1842, Willamette University is the oldest university in the Western United States...
in Salem with a LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
in 1962. Following law school Paulus worked in private practice until entering politics.
Political career
Paulus began her political career by winning electionElection
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
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....
in 1970. Elected as a Republican, she represented Salem and Marion County
Marion County, Oregon
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg, a meeting place on the Willamette River. On September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature renamed it in honor of Francis Marion, a Continental Army general of the...
in District 11. She won re-election in 1972 and 1974 to additional two-year terms in the House with her district changing to District 31, serving through the 1975 special legislative session. Paulus was then elected as Oregon's first female 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...
in 1976, the first time a woman won election to a statewide office in Oregon.
She took office on January 3, 1977, and served through January 7, 1985, after winning re-election to a second four-year term in 1980. Paulus keeps a small statue of a lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
on a desk in her downtown 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...
home that was given to her in October 1981 by the northeast Portland Lions Club when she was inducted as their first female member. The next day, Paulus was visited in her office at the Oregon Capitol by the president of the statewide Oregon Lions Club. He had come to ask Paulus to return the Portland club's gift. He did not think the statue – or membership into the club – should have been given to a woman.
She was one of the speakers at a national conference for women legislators in 1982. Paulus remarked in her speech that “We have come a long way” referring to women in politics. In 1984, followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
Osho , born Chandra Mohan Jain , and also known as Acharya Rajneesh from the 1960s onwards, as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh during the 1970s and 1980s and as Osho from 1989, was an Indian mystic, guru, and spiritual teacher who garnered an international following.A professor of philosophy, he travelled...
bused homeless people to Wasco County
Wasco County, Oregon
Wasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for a local tribe of Native Americans, the Wasco, a Chinook tribe who lived on the south side of the Columbia River. In 2010, its population was 25,213...
in an attempt to sway local elections. As Secretary of State, Paulus recommended the county institute emergency procedures to restrict these transients from registering to vote, which the Rajneeshes challenged in federal court. At that time Oregon allowed citizens to register to vote on the same day as an election. Then federal district judge Edward Leavy
Edward Leavy
Judge Edward Leavy is a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review. Prior to these positions, Leavy was a judge for the U.S...
ruled against the Rajneeshes, determining the emergency procedures were proper. The religious sect later faced government investigations over immigration fraud, a related failed murder plot
1985 Rajneeshee assassination plot
The 1985 Rajneeshee assassination plot was a conspiracy by a group of high-ranking followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh to assassinate Charles Turner, the then-United States Attorney for the District of Oregon...
, and the first bioterrorist attack
1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
The 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack was the food poisoning of 751 individuals in The Dalles, Oregon, United States, through the deliberate contamination of salad bars at ten local restaurants with salmonella...
in the United States.
Following her two terms as the Secretary of State, Paulus ran for governor
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....
in 1986. She won the Republican primary in May, but lost to 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...
Neil Goldschmidt
Neil 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...
in the November election. While campaigning for the office she had been a critic of the new MAX Light Rail that opened that year. Paulus was appointed by President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
to help oversee the 1986 Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
presidential elections.
Goldschmidt later appointed her as Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, is a constitutional office within the executive branch of the Oregon state government, and acts as administrative officer of the State Board of Education and executive head of the Department of...
on October 1, 1990. Paulus won election to a full four-year term in that office later in the year, and was re-elected in 1994. Paulus then ran for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in the December 5, 1995, special primary election. The election was for the nominations to replace Bob Packwood
Bob Packwood
Robert William "Bob" Packwood is a U.S. politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and assault of women emerged.-Early life and career:Packwood was born in...
who resigned. Paulus lost to Gordon Smith in the Republican primary. Smith then lost to Ron Wyden
Ron Wyden
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
in the general election
United States Senate special election in Oregon, 1996
The 1996 United States Senate special election in Oregon was held on January 30, 1996 to fill the seat vacated by Republican Bob Packwood, who resigned from the Senate due to sexual misconduct allegations. Democrat Ron Wyden won the open seat. Smith would win election to the Senate later that year...
before he was elected later in 1996 to fill the vacancy left when Mark Hatfield
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States Senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee...
retired.
As state superintendent, Paulus helped introduce statewide assessment testing for grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 in 1991. Other education reforms introduced that year were the Certificate of Initial Mastery
Certificate of Initial Mastery
The Certificate of Mastery was created by report "America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages". The CIM has been called an outcome-based education diploma as it would be either be necessary to receive or replace the high school diploma, and was characteristic of education reform legislation in many...
(CIM) and Certificate of Advanced Mastery (CAM) that were designed to replace the high school diploma
High school diploma
A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.-Past diploma styles:...
in Oregon. These were optional programs which were part of a broader program that included issuing a report card outlining the progress as a state, as required by a law the state legislature passed in 1991. Paulus also supported school to work
School-to-work transition
School-to-work transition is a phrase referring to on-the-job training, apprenticeships, cooperative education agreements or other programs designed to prepare students to enter the job market...
initiatives for reforming public education while in office, which were part of the 1991 reforms. At the time Paulus was one of only ten women in the nation to hold the top education position in their state. She left the office on January 4, 1999, after two terms. In 2007, the Oregon Legislature eliminated the optional certificates from schools in the state.
Later life and family
Norma and her husband William (Bill) have two children, Elizabeth and Fritz. In 1996, she was named to National Assessment Governing Board by US Secretary of Education Richard RileyRichard Riley
Richard Wilson Riley , American politician, was United States Secretary of Education under President Bill Clinton and the 111th Governor of South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
. She has been conferred with honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
s by Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
in 1999, Whitman College
Whitman College
Whitman College is a private, co-educational, non-sectarian, residential undergraduate liberal arts college located in Walla Walla, Washington. Initially founded as a seminary by a territorial legislative charter in 1859, the school became a four year degree granting institution in 1883...
, Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
, and Linfield College
Linfield College
Linfield College is an American private institution of higher learning located in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. As a four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college with a campus in Portland, Oregon, it also has an adult degree program located in eight communities throughout the...
. In December 2000, she was appointed as the executive director of the Oregon Historical Society
Oregon Historical Society
The Oregon Historical Society is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preserves, and makes available materials of historical character...
and served in that position until 2003. Since April 2000, Paulus has served on the Oregon State Capitol Foundation Board. She is an original member of the organization and has served as chair of the group. She also serves on the boards of the High Desert Museum in Bend
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
, the Oregon Coast Aquarium
Oregon Coast Aquarium
The Oregon Coast Aquarium is an aquarium in Newport in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 1992, the facility sits on along Yaquina Bay near the Pacific Ocean. From January 1996 until September 9, 1998 when he was shipped to Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland this aquarium was home to Keiko, the orca who...
in Newport
Newport, Oregon
Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868...
, and the City Club of Portland
City Club of Portland
The City Club of Portland is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic organization based in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was organized in 1916 by a small group of men who began meeting in a downtown Portland restaurant to discuss the city's public institutions and government...
. In 2004, she received University of Oregon's Distinguished Service Award.
She worked to raise funds for a statue honoring former governor and longtime friend Tom McCall
Tom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall was an American politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the 30th Governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, he grew up there and in Central Oregon before attending the University of Oregon...
, with the statue completed and installed in Salem along the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
in 2008. In 2008, Paulus and co-petitioner Phil Keisling
Phil Keisling
Phil Keisling is a politician and business executive in the U.S. state of Oregon. He served as Oregon Secretary of State from 1991 to 1999...
, also a former Oregon Secretary of State, brought Ballot Measure 65
Oregon Ballot Measure 65 (2008)
Ballot Measure 65 was an initiated state statute ballot measure for the November 4, 2008 general election ballot in the state of Oregon. If it had passed, it would have replaced the current closed primary election system, in which only registered members of a political party may vote in that...
to the November ballot, in an effort to reform the state's primary election system for partisan races.
External links
- The Saffron Swami - Willamette Week