Peter Courtney, Oregon’s longest-serving state lawmaker, dies at 81

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Peter Courtney, Oregon’s longest-serving lawmaker and a politician who was known for his bipartisanship and skills as a dealmaker, died Tuesday, officials said. He was 81.

Courtney died of complications from cancer at his home in Salem, Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement.

Courtney served 38 years in the Legislature, including stints in the House and Senate. He spent 20 years in the powerful role of Senate president, starting in 2003, and maintained control until he retired in January 2023.

Courtney was long one of the more captivating, animated and mercurial figures in Oregon politics. He was known for his skills as a speaker, dealmaker and his insistence on bipartisan support for legislation.

“President Courtney was a friend and ally in supporting an Oregon where everyone can find success and community,” Kotek said in her statement. “His life story, the way he embraced Oregon and public service, and his love for the institution of the Oregon Legislature leaves a legacy that will live on for decades.”

Courtney helped move the Legislature to annual sessions, boosted K-12 school funding, replaced Oregon’s defunct and crumbling state hospital and fought for animal welfare.

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