- Margaret Carter
-
Margaret L. Carter Member of the Oregon Senate
from the 22nd districtIn office
2000–2009Member of the Oregon House of Representatives In office
1985–1999Personal details Born December 29, 1935
Shreveport, LouisianaPolitical party Democratic Residence Portland, Oregon Alma mater Portland State University
Oregon State UniversityProfession educator, counselor Website State Senate website Margaret L. Carter (born December 29, 1935) was a Democratic member of the Oregon State Senate, representing the 22nd District from 2000 to 2009. She served as President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Vice Chair for Ways and Means, and as a member of both the Health and Human Services and Oregon State Hospital Patient Care committees.
She announced her resignation from the Senate effective August 31, 2009 and took a post as Deputy Director for Human Services Programs at the Oregon Department of Human Services.[1]
Contents
Early life
Born Margaret Hunter in Shreveport, Louisiana, on December 29, 1935, her parents were Hilton and Emma Hunter.[2][3] She was raised there in a family of nine children by her father, a Baptist minster, and her mother, a cook at the school cafeteria.[4] After earning the honor as salutatorian in high school, she received scholarships to Grambling State University where she then briefly attended before meeting who would become her first husband.[3] After getting married she had five daughters by the age of 28, but moved to Oregon to escape abuse by her then husband.[4] She arrived via train on December 1, 1967, and began working odd jobs.[3] In Oregon, she re-married, adding four stepchildren, but divorced after a few years to Elvis.[3][4] In 1970, she enrolled at Portland State University where she then graduated from in 1972 with a bachelor of arts degree in education.[3] Carter then earned a masters of education in psychology from Oregon State University in 1973.[2][3] In 1973, Carter began working for Portland Community College as a counselor.[4]
Political career
Republican leaders recruited Carter to run for a seat in the Oregon House of Representatives in 1983.[4] They hoped to unseat the incumbent in a heavily Democratic district in Northeast Portland.[4] Carter won as a Democrat in 1984 and began serving at the 1985 legislative session representing District 18.[4][5] She became the first African-American woman elected to the Oregon Legislative Assembly.[4] In the House she worked to pass legislation that ended state controlled investments in South Africa during apartheid and legislation to observe Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as a state holiday.[4]
In 1998, she was a candidate for the office of Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction, but lost to Stan Bunn.[4][6] Carter was a member of the Oregon House until January 1999 when term limits prevented her from seeking additional terms.[7] In November 1999, she became the president of the Urban League of Portland, serving until May 2002.[8] She was then elected to the Senate in November 2000.[9] In 2005, she became president pro tempore of the Oregon State Senate[4] and was unopposed in the 2008 election.
See also
- Seventy-third Oregon Legislative Assembly (2005–2006)
- Seventy-fourth Oregon Legislative Assembly (2007–2008)
- Seventy-fifth Oregon Legislative Assembly (2009–2010)
References
- ^ Sen. Margaret Carter leaving Senate to take state job
- ^ a b "Senator Margaret L. Carter (OR)". Project Vote Smart. http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=2993. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
- ^ a b c d e f Carter, Steven (October 11, 1998). "Margaret Carter". The Oregonian.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cole, Michelle (June 26, 2006). "Senate 'matriarch' undaunted by dissent". The Oregonian: pp. A1.
- ^ Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1985 Regular Session (63rd). Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on December 24, 2008.
- ^ Carter, Steven (November 4, 1998). "Bunn leads Carter in race for school superintendent". The Oregonian: pp. B1.
- ^ Leeson, Fred (April 18, 2000). "Common threads run in Senate District 8 hopefuls". The Oregonian: pp. B2.
- ^ Chuang, Angie (March 5, 2003). "Urban League selects new president". The Oregonian.
- ^ Kenning, Chris (1999-01-11). "She is the first African-American Republican to serve". Statesman-Journal (Salem, Oregon: Gannett): pp. 1A. http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:SSJB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0FD3DA701AA001D5&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=8CE642B8CA5C4083BE84A2539D6E1A73. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
External links
Members of the Oregon State Senate 76th Legislative Assembly (2011-2012)
President of the Senate: Peter Courtney (D) • President pro Tempore: Ginny Burdick (D) • Majority Leader: Diane Rosenbaum (D) • Minority Leader: Ted Ferrioli (R)- Jeff Kruse (R)
- Jason Atkinson (R)
- Alan Bates (D)
- Floyd Prozanski (D)
- Joanne Verger (D)
- Lee Beyer (D)
- Chris Edwards (D)
- Frank Morse (R)
- Fred Girod (R)
- Jackie Winters (R)
- Peter Courtney (D)
- Brian Boquist (R)
- Larry George (R)
- Mark Hass (D)
- Bruce Starr (R)
- Betsy Johnson (D)
- Suzanne Bonamici (D)
- Ginny Burdick (D)
- Richard Devlin (D)
- Alan Olsen (R)
- Diane Rosenbaum (D)
- Chip Shields (D)
- Jackie Dingfelder (D)
- Rod Monroe (D)
- Laurie Monnes Anderson (D)
- Chuck Thomsen (R)
- Chris Telfer (R)
- Doug Whitsett (R)
- David Nelson (R)
- Ted Ferrioli (R)
Democratic (16) • Republican (14) • Oregon Legislative Assembly • Oregon House of Representatives • Oregon State Senate Categories:- 1935 births
- Living people
- African American politicians
- African American women in politics
- Oregon State Senators
- Oregon State University alumni
- Members of the Oregon House of Representatives
- Portland State University alumni
- Grambling State University alumni
- Women state legislators in Oregon
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
