Barbara Roberts

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For the fictional character named Barbara Millicent Roberts, see Barbie.
Barbara Roberts
34th Governor of Oregon
In office
January 14, 1991 – January 9, 1995
Preceded byNeil Goldschmidt
Succeeded byJohn Kitzhaber
21st Secretary of State of Oregon
In office
January 7, 1985 – January 14, 1991
GovernorVictor Atiyeh
Neil Goldschmidt
Preceded byNorma Paulus
Succeeded byPhil Keisling
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 17th district
In office
January 12, 1981 – January 7, 1985
Preceded byGeorge Starr
Succeeded byMike Burton
Personal details
Born (1936-12-21) December 21, 1936 (age 87)
Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Neal Sanders
​
​
(m. 1954; div. 1972)​
​
​
(m. 1974; died 1993)​
RelationsRobert M.Sanders Kaitlin R. Sanders
Children2
EducationPortland State University (BA)
Other office(s)

Barbara Kay Roberts (née Hughey; born December 21, 1936) is an American politician from the state of

Portland metropolitan area.[3]

Early life

Roberts was born Barbara Kay Hughey on December 21, 1936, in

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.[4]

In 1954, she married her high-school sweetheart Neal Sanders, graduating the following year from Sheridan High School.[4] 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.[5]

With her older son, Mike, diagnosed in 1962 as "severely emotionally disturbed" (later identified as

Oregon State Legislature to require public schools to guarantee educational rights to these children.[5][6] In 1972, her marriage to Neal ended in divorce.[4]

Political career

In 1973, she was elected to

Majority Leader, Oregon's first woman to hold that post.[5]

Secretary of State

In 1984, Roberts was elected as

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.[4] During her second term, Roberts attended an executive program at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.[4][5]

Governor

Democratic Gov. Neil Goldschmidt announced that he would not seek a second term as governor in 1990. Roberts, halfway through her second term as secretary of state, announced she would run for governor.[4] 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.

Roberts became 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

gay rights
and appointed women to positions in state government.

Her husband,

Death Without Denial Grief Without Apology: A Guide for Facing Death and Loss.[8]

There were several factors that were responsible for Roberts' decision not to seek re-election in 1994. The leading cause was to process the loss of her husband.

Later life and family

Roberts with Terry Bean in 2014

Soon after she left office, Roberts accepted a position at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University 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 her 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, Mike and Mark Sanders, and two grandchildren, Robert M. Sanders and Kaitlin Sanders.

Roberts High School in Salem, Oregon, 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

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.[9] 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.[2] Metro district 6 includes portions of Northeast, Southeast and Southwest Portland. She indicated that she would not be a candidate for the position when it next came due for election, in May 2012,[9] and Bob Stacey was elected to the district 6 seat at that time.[10] Roberts' council term ended, and Stacey succeeded her, in January 2013.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Note: Kate Brown became governor in 2015 following the resignation of John Kitzhaber; she was elected in 2016.
  2. ^ a b Mortenson, Eric (February 25, 2011). "Metro names attorney as acting chief operating officer; Barbara Roberts sworn in". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Three Metro Councilors will be sworn in at Monday inauguration". Metro. January 4, 2013. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-87071-610-2
    .
  5. ^ a b c d e "Governor Barbara Roberts". Oregon Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  6. ^ Kirchmeier, Mark (November 2, 2011). "My Name is Barbara". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  7. ^ "Barbara Roberts". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  8. ISBN 0-939165-43-0
    . Retrieved 2006-12-11.
  9. ^ a b Mortenson, Eric (February 17, 2011). "Former Oregon Gov. Barbara Roberts appointed to Metro Council". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  10. ^ Mortenson, Eric (May 12, 2012). "Bob Stacey wins position on Metro Council; Sam Chase and Craig Dirksen join him (2012 primary election)". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Barbara Roberts.
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Oregon
1985–1991 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Oregon
1991–1995 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Oregon
1990 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Senator Order of precedence of the United States
Within Oregon 		Succeeded byas Former Governor
Preceded byas Former Governor Order of precedence of the United States
Outside Oregon
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