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Barbara K. Roberts
Barbara Roberts was elected the 34th
Governor of Oregon in 1990, becoming the first woman governor in her state and
one of the first ten women governors in the nation. Previously, she held publ...view more
Barbara Roberts was elected the 34th
Governor of Oregon in 1990, becoming the first woman governor in her state and
one of the first ten women governors in the nation. Previously, she held public
office for twenty-four years, including ten years as a public-school board
member, a community-college board member, a county commissioner, a state representative,
and the first woman to serve as majority leader in the Oregon House of Representatives. In
addition, Roberts was elected to two terms as Oregon Secretary of State (1984 to 1990), serving six years before her
election as Governor.
Barbara Roberts is a native Oregonian
and a fourth-generation descendant of 1853 Oregon Trail pioneers. Her father
was a minister’s son from Oregon and her mother was a farmer’s daughter from
Montana. Barbara and her sister, Pat, grew up in Sheridan, a small Oregon town
with fewer than 2,000 people. Roberts describes her parents, Bob Hughey and
Carmen Murray Hughey, as warm and caring, and she considered her father one of
her greatest supporters. Her dad was proud of his two daughters and encouraged
them to be active in school and the community.
At 18, Barbara married her high school
boyfriend. As soon as she graduated from high school as class salutatorian, she
moved to Texas where her husband was serving in the U.S. Air Force. Her first
son, Michael Sanders, was born in Texas in 1956. Her younger son, Mark Sanders,
was born in 1958 after her return to Oregon.
After sixteen years of marriage, a divorce
left Barbara raising two sons as a single parent with no child support and a
low-paying office job. As a result, her part-time college classes were no
longer financially possible and she had to leave college.
When Barbara’s son Mike was diagnosed
with autism and school authorities would no longer accept him as a student, she
knew she had to step up and advocate for him. So, Barbara began her active
public service life as an unpaid, part-time, legislative advocate for children
with disabilities. Six months later, she was successful in securing passage of
one of the first special education laws in the nation that served children with
emotional disorders. That first legislative win was the start of a long,
notable, political career.
In 1974, Barbara married Frank Roberts, who
was her state senator and political mentor. Frank became Barbara’s biggest fan,
eventually encouraging her to run for secretary of state and governor. In 1993,
during her term as governor, Frank died of cancer. They had been happily
married for twenty years.
Following her term as Oregon’s governor,
Barbara Roberts spent a decade in higher education administration focused on
state and local government leadership. She served five years at Harvard’s
Kennedy School of Government, followed by five years at Portland State
University’s Hatfield School of Government in Oregon.
Among her many recognitions is the
naming of the Oregon Department of Human Services Building in her honor and the
Barbara Roberts High School in Salem. Governor Roberts was also awarded an
Honorary Doctor of Laws from Willamette University, an Honorary Doctor of
Letters from Portland State University, and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
from Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine. In addition, as part
of USA TODAY’s “Women of the Century,” a 50-state national program
recognizing trailblazing women in every state, Governor Roberts was named one
of Oregon’s ten “Women of the Century” in 2020.
Barbara Roberts is a published author
with four books, including her autobiography, Up the Capitol Steps: A
Woman’s March to the Governorship (Oregon State University Press, 2011),
and two editions of Death Without Denial, Grief Without Apology (NewSage
Press, 2002 and 2016). With her latest book, A Voice for Equity, Roberts
continues to be a vocal advocate for women’s leadership, disability issues,
LGBTQ+ rights, environmental concerns, and equality and dignity for all
people.
Barbara Roberts lives in Portland,
Oregon with her significant other, Don Nelson. She is a mother to two adult
sons, a grandmother to two grown grandchildren, and a step-grandmother to eighteen.
As one of Oregon’s most beloved,
respected, and sought-after leaders in the state’s Democratic party, Roberts
continues to mentor and advise others as they seek leadership positions.
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