THE VFA PIONEER HISTORIES PROJECT
Vera Katz
August 3, 1933 – December 11, 2017
“I loved the legislature. I loved walking into the building and knowing that history is being made.”
Lobbyist. First woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives and was the 49th mayor of Portland, Oregon’s most populous city. She grew up in New York City, moving to Portland in 1962, and was elected to the Oregon House in 1972. She served as mayor from 1993 to 2005.
Photo 1. Campaign flyer for State Representative District 8, Vera Katz’s first elected position, 1972. Photo 2. Mayor Vera Katz, 1977.
More About Vera:
- Obituary
- Audio recording of an Oregon Historical Society event, consisting of a panel discussion moderated by Melody Rose. Gretchen Kafoury, Vera Katz, Norma Paulus, and Betty Roberts discuss the womens’ movement in addition to their experiences in the Oregon State legislature in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Oral history interview with Vera Katz, by Linda S. Dodds, SR 9044, Oregon Historical Society Research Library, 1982.
- House Bill 2930 – Katz introduced HB 2930 that would have prohibited “discrimination in employment and certain real property transactions” based on “sexual orientation.”
- Wikipedia