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

SALEM, Oregon — Peter Courtney, Oregon’s longest-serving legislator and a politician known for his bipartisanship and deal-making skills, 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, beginning in 2003, and retaining control until his retirement in January 2023.

Courtney was long one of the most engaging, vibrant and erratic figures in Oregon politics, 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 spirit of the Oregon Legislature leave a legacy that will live on for decades.”

Courtney helped the legislature pass annual meetings, increased funding for K-12 schools, replaced Oregon’s defunct and dilapidated state hospital, and fought for animal welfare.

Salem has a bridge, a housing complex and a state hospital campus all named after him, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

Lawmakers had mixed feelings about such accolades, Betsy Imholt, director of the Oregon Department of Revenue, who once served as Courtney’s chief of staff, told The Oregonian/OregonLiveHe often said that he was a plow horse, not a show horse.

“He didn’t believe in cementing your legacy,” she said. “He just really believed in… showing up. Doing your best.”

Sen. Tim Knopp, a Republican from Bend who has often disagreed with Courtney, called him a friend and “one of the most important elected officials and political figures in Oregon history.”

Courtney was born in Philadelphia. He said he spent his childhood helping to care for his mother, who had Parkinson’s disease. He grew up in Rhode Island and West Virginia, where his grandmother helped raise him.

Courtney earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Rhode Island. He attended law school at Boston University and moved to Salem in 1969 after hearing about an open judicial clerkship in the Oregon Court of Appeals.

Courtney is survived by his wife Margie, three sons and seven grandchildren, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

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This story has been edited to clarify that Courtney retired in January 2023.