John Kitzhaber

John Kitzhaber
35th and 37th Governor of Oregon
In office
January 10, 2011 – February 18, 2015
Preceded byTed Kulongoski
Succeeded byKate Brown
In office
January 9, 1995 – January 13, 2003
Preceded byBarbara Roberts
Succeeded byTed Kulongoski
President of the Oregon Senate
In office
January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1993
Preceded byEdward Fadeley
Succeeded byBill Bradbury
Member of the Oregon Senate
from the 23rd district
In office
January 12, 1981[1] – January 3, 1993
Preceded byJason Boe
Succeeded byRod Johnson
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 45th district
In office
January 8, 1979 – January 12, 1981
Preceded byAl Shaw
Succeeded byVerner Anderson
Personal details
Born
John Albert Kitzhaber

(1947-03-05) March 5, 1947 (age 77)
Colfax, Washington, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Rosemary Linehan
(m. 1971; div. 1974)
Sharon LaCroix
(m. 1995; div. 2003)
Domestic partnerCylvia Hayes (2003–present)
EducationDartmouth College (BA)
Oregon Health & Science University (MD)

John Albert Kitzhaber (born March 5, 1947) is an American former politician and physician who served as the 35th and 37th governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003 and again from 2011 to 2015. In February 2015, shortly after beginning his fourth term, Kitzhaber resigned from office and was replaced by Secretary of State Kate Brown. A member of the Democratic Party, Kitzhaber was the longest-serving governor in the state's history.

A physician in Roseburg, Kitzhaber was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1978. After one term, he won an Oregon Senate seat in 1980, serving three terms, until 1993. He was Senate President from 1985 to 1993. In 1994, he was elected governor of Oregon, defeating his Republican opponent Denny Smith. He was reelected by a wide margin in 1998 and left office in January 2003. In 2010, Kitzhaber ran for governor again and narrowly defeated his Republican opponent Chris Dudley. He was reelected in 2014, to become Oregon's longest serving governor.

Kitzhaber resigned from office only a month into his fourth term on February 18, 2015,[2] as state and federal authorities were investigating criminal allegations against him and his fiancée Cylvia Hayes.[3] In 2017, the federal government dropped its investigation against Kitzhaber without filing charges.[4] The Oregon ethics commission found 10 instances when Kitzhaber used his political office for personal gain. He agreed to pay a settlement fine of $20,000.

  1. ^ "Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: State Government Legislators and Staff: 1981 Regular Session (61st): January 12-August 2". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  2. ^ Nakamura, Beth. "Governor John Kitzhaber announces his resignation". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  3. ^ Experts say probe on disgraced Oregon governor focusing on possible financial crimes - Fox News[dead link] Retrieved July 18, 2016
  4. ^ Green, Aimee (June 17, 2017). "End of criminal investigation into Kitzhaber, Hayes comes as no surprise to experts". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.

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