The Political Graveyard: Jewish Politicians in Oregon

PoliticalGraveyard.com

Jewish Politicians in Oregon
(religion or ancestry)

Neil Goldschmidt (b. 1940) — of Portland, Multnomah County, Ore. Born June 16, 1940. Mayor of Portland, Ore., 1973-79; resigned 1979; U.S. Secretary of Transportation, 1979-81; Governor of Oregon, 1987-91. Jewish. Still living as of 2014.

Solomon Hirsch (1839-1902) — of Oregon. Born in 1839. Republican. Merchant; U.S. Minister to Turkey, 1889-92; Oregon Republican state chair, 1896. Jewish. Died in Portland, Multnomah County, Ore., December 15, 1902 (age about 63 years). Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Portland, Ore.

John A. Kitzhaber — of Oregon. Born in Colfax, Whitman County, Wash. Democrat. Member of Oregon state house of representatives, 1979-81; member of Oregon state senate, 1981-93; Governor of Oregon, 1995-; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oregon, 1996, 2000. Jewish. Still living as of 2000.

Sidney Irving Lezak (1924-2006) — also known as Sidney I. Lezak — of Portland, Multnomah County, Ore. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., November 8, 1924. Served in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II; lawyer; U.S. Attorney for Oregon, 1961-82. Jewish. Member, American Bar Association; Federal Bar Association; American Judicature Society. Died April 24, 2006 (age 81 years, 167 days). Burial location unknown.

Relatives: Son of Manny Lezak and Celia (Weiner) Lezak; married, June 26, 1949, to Muriel Elaine Deutsch.

Julius L. Meier (1874-1937) — of Oregon. Born December 31, 1874. Governor of Oregon, 1931-35. Jewish. Died July 14, 1937 (age 62 years, 195 days). Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Portland, Ore.

Richard Lewis Neuberger (1912-1960) — also known as Richard L. Neuberger — of Portland, Multnomah County, Ore. Born in Portland, Multnomah County, Ore., December 26, 1912. Democrat. Newspaper reporter; member of Oregon state house of representatives, 1941-42; served in the U.S. Army during World War II; member of Oregon state senate 13th District, 1948-54; U.S. Senator from Oregon, 1955-60; died in office 1960; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oregon, 1956 (delegation chair). Jewish. Member, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Grange. Died of a cerebral hemorrhage, in Portland, Multnomah County, Ore., March 9, 1960 (age 47 years, 74 days). Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Portland, Ore.

		Relatives: Son of Isaac Neuberger and Ruth (Lewis) Neuberger; married, December 20, 1945, to Maurine Brown.
		See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — OurCampaigns candidate detail

Joseph Simon (1851-1935) — of Portland, Multnomah County, Ore. Born in Germany, February 7, 1851. Republican. Lawyer; member of Oregon state senate, 1880-98; member of Republican National Committee from Oregon, 1892-96; U.S. Senator from Oregon, 1898-1903; mayor of Portland, Ore., 1909-11. Jewish. Died in Portland, Multnomah County, Ore., February 14, 1935 (age 84 years, 7 days). Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Portland, Ore.

See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page

Norton Winfred Simon (1907-1993) — also known as Norton Simon; Norton Glickman — of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Calif. Born in Portland, Multnomah County, Ore., February 5, 1907. Republican. President, Val Vita Food Products, 1931-42; subsequently president and chairman of Hunt Foods; director, Wheeling Steel Corporation, Northern Pacific Railway, and McCall's Publishing Co.; art collector; candidate for U.S. Senator from California, 1970. Jewish. Died in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, Calif., June 1, 1993 (age 86 years, 116 days). Burial location unknown.

		Relatives: Married, February 3, 1933, to Lucille Ellis; married 1971 to Jennifer (Isley) Jones (widow of David Oliver Selznick).
		Political family: Mayer family of Los Angeles, California.
		See also Wikipedia article — Internet Movie Database profile

Gus Jerome Solomon (1906-1987) — also known as Gus J. Solomon — of Portland, Multnomah County, Ore. Born in Portland, Multnomah County, Ore., August 29, 1906. Democrat. Lawyer; alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oregon, 1940, 1944; U.S. District Judge for Oregon, 1949-71; took senior status 1971. Jewish. Died February 15, 1987 (age 80 years, 170 days). Burial location unknown.

		The Gus J. Solomon U.S. Courthouse (opened 1933; named 1988; courts moved out 1997), in Portland, Oregon, is named for him.
		See also federal judicial profile — Wikipedia article — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges

Stephen Samuel Wise (1874-1949) — also known as Stephen Wise; Stephen Samuel Weisz — of Portland, Multnomah County, Ore.; Manhattan, New York County, N.Y. Born in Budapest, Hungary, March 17, 1874. Democrat. Rabbi; delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1924; offered prayer, Democratic National Convention, 1924. Jewish. Member, American Jewish Congress; NAACP. Died, from a stomach ailment, in Lenox Hill Hospital, Manhattan, New York County, N.Y., April 19, 1949 (age 75 years, 33 days). Entombed at Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.

		Relatives: Son of Rabbi Aaron Wise and Sabine (Fisher) Wise; married, November 14, 1900, to Louise Waterman.
		See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial

Ronald Lee Wyden (b. 1949) — also known as Ron Wyden — of Portland, Multnomah County, Ore. Born in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kan., May 3, 1949. Democrat. U.S. Representative from Oregon 3rd District, 1981-96; U.S. Senator from Oregon, 1996-; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oregon, 1996 (delegation chair), 2000, 2004, 2008. Jewish. Member, American Bar Association. Still living as of 2014.

See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — NNDB dossier

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