Barbara Roberts

Barbara Roberts in Oregon (2009)

Barbara K. Roberts (born December 21, 1936 in Corvallis , Oregon ) is an American politician . She was governor of the state of Oregon from 1991 to 1995 .

Early years and political advancement

Barbara Roberts attended Portland State University between 1961 and 1964 . Later she was also at Harvard University and their John F. Kennedy School of Government . She got involved with disabled children from an early age. In 1973 she was elected to the Parkrose School Board for her commitment, where she stayed for ten years. She was also on the Board of Trustees of Mount Hood Community College .

Barbara Roberts was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1981 to 1985 . In 1983 and 1984 she was the first woman to chair the Democrats . In 1984 she was elected to the Office of Secretary of State of Oregon. This made her the first member of the Democratic Party in this office in over 100 years. In 1990 she was then elected Governor of Oregon, where she prevailed with 45.7 percent of the vote in front of Republican David B. Frohnmayer .

Governor of Oregon

Roberts took up her new office on January 14, 1991. She was the first and so far only woman in the office of governor of this US state. As governor, she campaigned for an improved education policy and strengthened the rights of the disabled. She also worried about the environment and tried to reform the administration and adapt it to the conditions of the time. She also campaigned for homosexual rights. Their plan to increase VAT in favor of health insurance was rejected by the citizens. As a result, she had to cut spending and thereby break one of her election promises. In 1994 she decided not to run again. For this reason, she resigned from office in January 1995.

Another résumé

After the end of her tenure, she got a job as a department director at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. In 1998, she accepted a similar position at Portland State University. Roberts is on the board of trustees of several charities and is a guest speaker. She was married to State Senator Frank Roberts, who died in 1993. Her son Mike, one of two children, is autistic .

Works

• Up the Capitol Steps: A Woman's March to the Governorship. Oregon State University, Corvallis 2012, ISBN 978-0-87071-610-2 .

Web links

• Barbara Roberts in the nndb (English)
• Barbara Roberts in the National Governors Association (English)