Frank L. Roberts
Encyclopedia
Frank Livezey Roberts was an American politician from the state of Oregon
. A Democrat
, Roberts served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly
. He served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives
and most of five terms in the Oregon Senate
before resigning due to poor health. Roberts was married three times, including to Barbara Roberts
, who was the first woman to serve as Governor of Oregon
, and to Betty Roberts
, who was the first woman to serve as a justice on the Oregon Supreme Court
.
, in 1915 to Walter Scott and Mary Livezey Roberts. He received a bachelor's degree from Pacific University
in Forest Grove, Oregon
in 1938. In 1943, he married Mary Louise Charleson. Later that year, he earned a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1946, he was hired as a speech professor at Vanport College
(later renamed Portland State University). He earned a doctorate from Stanford University
in 1954.
Roberts and his wife Mary Louise had two daughters, Mary Wendy Roberts and Leslie Roberts. The couple divorced prior to 1960, the year Frank married Betty Cantrell Rice
, then a single mother of four and teacher in Portland.
Democratic Party. He ran unsuccessfully for the Oregon State Senate
in 1962, but was successful in his second attempt at elective office, winning a seat in the Oregon House of Representatives
in 1966. He was re-elected to a second term, but in 1970, redistricting forced him to run in another district and he lost in the Democratic primary. Roberts again unsuccesfully sought election to the Oregon Senate in 1972, but when an open seat was available in 1974, he was elected to the first of six four-year terms representing District 4 in Portland. At the time of his retirement in 1993, Roberts was the longest-serving Oregon legislator.
As a legislator, Roberts served on the Ways and Means Committee. He worked to expand social service programs
for the poor, disabled, and elderly, expanding Head Start Programs to more children, and funding more medical care programs, such as prenatal care, to the poor.
, divorced in 1965. She was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives
in 1964, and was later elected to the Oregon State Senate
in 1969. In 1974, she ran unsuccessfully for both Governor of Oregon
and as a replacement candidate for U.S. Senate
. She later resigned from the Oregon Senate when she was appointed as a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals
, and later was the first woman to serve on the Oregon Supreme Court
.
Frank Roberts' daughter, Mary Wendy Roberts, also served in the Oregon State Senate
from 1975 to 1979, and served alongside her father and stepmother for several years before being elected as Commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
. Frank and Mary Wendy were the first, and to date, only, father-daughter team to serve simultaneously in the Oregon Legislative Assembly.
In 1971, Roberts met Barbara Hughey Sanders
, a single mother with an autistic
son, who was lobbying for the right of disabled students to attend public schools. Roberts sponsored Sanders' bill, and befriended and married her in 1974. Barbara Roberts was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1980, Oregon Secretary of State
in 1984 and 1988, and became Oregon's 34th governor in 1990.
in 1987. Radiation treatment for his cancer destroyed the nerves in his legs and left him unable to walk. In 1993, with his cancer spread to his lungs, Roberts, then the longest-serving member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, resigned from the Oregon Senate on September 1. He died at Mahonia Hall
, Oregon's governor's residence, on October 31.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Roberts served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...
. He served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
and most of five terms in the Oregon Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
before resigning due to poor health. Roberts was married three times, including to Barbara Roberts
Barbara Roberts
Barbara Kay Roberts is an American politician from the state of Oregon. A native of the state, she served as the 34th Governor of Oregon from 1991 to 1995. She is the first and, to date, only woman to be elected to that office. A Democrat, Roberts was also the first woman to serve as majority...
, who was the first woman to serve as Governor of Oregon
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
, and to Betty Roberts
Betty Roberts
Betty Cantrell Roberts was a politician and judge in the U.S. state of Oregon. She was the 83rd Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, the highest state court in Oregon. She was the first woman on the Oregon Supreme Court, and had also been the first woman on the Oregon Court of Appeals...
, who was the first woman to serve as a justice on the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
.
Early life and career
Roberts was born in Boise, IdahoBoise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, in 1915 to Walter Scott and Mary Livezey Roberts. He received a bachelor's degree from Pacific University
Pacific University
Pacific University is a private university located in Oregon, United States. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km west of Portland in Forest Grove...
in Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
in 1938. In 1943, he married Mary Louise Charleson. Later that year, he earned a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1946, he was hired as a speech professor at Vanport College
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
(later renamed Portland State University). He earned a doctorate from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1954.
Roberts and his wife Mary Louise had two daughters, Mary Wendy Roberts and Leslie Roberts. The couple divorced prior to 1960, the year Frank married Betty Cantrell Rice
Betty Roberts
Betty Cantrell Roberts was a politician and judge in the U.S. state of Oregon. She was the 83rd Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, the highest state court in Oregon. She was the first woman on the Oregon Supreme Court, and had also been the first woman on the Oregon Court of Appeals...
, then a single mother of four and teacher in Portland.
Early political career
In 1960, Roberts was elected chairman of the Multnomah CountyMultnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
Democratic Party. He ran unsuccessfully for the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
in 1962, but was successful in his second attempt at elective office, winning a seat in the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
in 1966. He was re-elected to a second term, but in 1970, redistricting forced him to run in another district and he lost in the Democratic primary. Roberts again unsuccesfully sought election to the Oregon Senate in 1972, but when an open seat was available in 1974, he was elected to the first of six four-year terms representing District 4 in Portland. At the time of his retirement in 1993, Roberts was the longest-serving Oregon legislator.
As a legislator, Roberts served on the Ways and Means Committee. He worked to expand social service programs
Social safety net
Social safety nets, or "socioeconomic safety nets", are non-contributory transfer programs seeking to prevent the poor or those vulnerable to shocks and poverty from falling below a certain poverty level. Safety net programs can be provided by the public sector or by the private sector...
for the poor, disabled, and elderly, expanding Head Start Programs to more children, and funding more medical care programs, such as prenatal care, to the poor.
Later career
Roberts and his second wife, Betty RobertsBetty Roberts
Betty Cantrell Roberts was a politician and judge in the U.S. state of Oregon. She was the 83rd Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, the highest state court in Oregon. She was the first woman on the Oregon Supreme Court, and had also been the first woman on the Oregon Court of Appeals...
, divorced in 1965. She was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
in 1964, and was later elected to the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
in 1969. In 1974, she ran unsuccessfully for both Governor of Oregon
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
and as a replacement candidate for U.S. Senate
United States Senate election in Oregon, 1974
The 1974 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 5, 1974.Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Packwood won re-election to a second term. Roberts was chosen to replace former U.S. Senator Wayne Morse, who won the Democratic primary but died before the general...
. She later resigned from the Oregon Senate when she was appointed as a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals
Oregon Court of Appeals
The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has ten judges and is located in Salem...
, and later was the first woman to serve on the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
.
Frank Roberts' daughter, Mary Wendy Roberts, also served in the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
from 1975 to 1979, and served alongside her father and stepmother for several years before being elected as Commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries is an agency in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is headed by the Commissioner of Labor and Industries, a nonpartisan, statewide elective office. The term of office is four years...
. Frank and Mary Wendy were the first, and to date, only, father-daughter team to serve simultaneously in the Oregon Legislative Assembly.
In 1971, Roberts met Barbara Hughey Sanders
Barbara Roberts
Barbara Kay Roberts is an American politician from the state of Oregon. A native of the state, she served as the 34th Governor of Oregon from 1991 to 1995. She is the first and, to date, only woman to be elected to that office. A Democrat, Roberts was also the first woman to serve as majority...
, a single mother with an autistic
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
son, who was lobbying for the right of disabled students to attend public schools. Roberts sponsored Sanders' bill, and befriended and married her in 1974. Barbara Roberts was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1980, Oregon Secretary of State
Oregon Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the Governor. The duties of office are: auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public...
in 1984 and 1988, and became Oregon's 34th governor in 1990.
Later life
Roberts had a heart attack in 1984, and was diagnosed with prostate cancerProstate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
in 1987. Radiation treatment for his cancer destroyed the nerves in his legs and left him unable to walk. In 1993, with his cancer spread to his lungs, Roberts, then the longest-serving member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, resigned from the Oregon Senate on September 1. He died at Mahonia Hall
Mahonia Hall
Mahonia Hall in Salem, Oregon, United States, is the official governor's mansion for Oregon. The building was acquired by the state in 1988 with private donations. It is also known as the Thomas and Edna Livesley Mansion, after its original owners. The house was renamed Mahonia Hall after the...
, Oregon's governor's residence, on October 31.