Neil Goldschmidt, former Oregon governor who confessed to sex with a minor in the 1970s, has died

Neil Goldschmidt was credited with starting Portland on its path to becoming a magnet for the young, hip and liberal before becoming a U.S. cabinet secretary and Oregon’s governor.

But between converting a busy highway into a popular riverfront park and developing the seeds of a robust public transit system, Portland’s fuzzy-haired, sideburned mayor had a secret double life. For years in the 1970s, he engaged in an illegal sexual relationship with the teenage daughter of an aide.

Goldschmidt died at his Portland home on Wednesday, The Oregonian reported, according to family members. He was 83.

The newspaper said the reported cause was heart failure.

At 32, Goldschmidt was elected the youngest mayor of a major American city in 1972. Seven years later, he left City Hall to become President Jimmy Carter’s transportation secretary. He served one term as Oregon governor, from 1987 to 1991.

Goldschmidt announced in 1990 that he and his wife, Margie, were separating and he wouldn’t seek a second term, saying, “It will require more of myself than I am prepared to give.” He never sought elected office again. The decision by one of Oregon’s most revered politicians was shocking, and left many wondering why he’d walk away from a career on the rise.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-parsely-url=«https%3A%2F%2Fapi.parsely.com%2Fv2%2Frelated%3Fapikey%3Dtest%26url%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fapnews.com%2Farticle%2Fneil-goldschmidt-dead-oregon-governor-2c50aa5ae9674d978590c9d1805d8064%26limit%3D9%26respect_empty_results%3D1%26pub_date_start%3D2024-03-14» data-parsely-title=«Related» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline