Alan Randal Olsen (born March 24, 1948) is an American Republican politician who served in the Oregon State Senate from 2011 until 2021, representing Oregon's 20th Senate district in southeastern

Clackamas County Clackamas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the Native ...

, including the cities of Barlow, Canby,

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-con ...

, Johnson City,

Oregon City ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

, and portions of

Milwaukie Milwaukie is a city mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States; a very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1847 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city ...

. He defeated incumbent Democrat Martha Schrader in the 2010 election.

Early life and career

Olsen was born and grew up in

McHenry, Illinois McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb, part of the Chicago metropolitan area and is located about 37 miles northwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 27,135. McHenry was at one time ...

. He graduated from McHenry High School and attended

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and ...

, where in 1975 he earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. From 1969 to 1971 Olsen served in the U.S. Army. He moved to

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

in 1978 and has been the owner and operator of Custom Construction Services since 1987 specializing in the design and construction custom homes and commercial projects. Locally, Olsen is a member of the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or ...

and is a past President of the Oregon Bass Federation Nation.

Political career

Olsen was the candidate for Senate District 20. According to

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Will ...

Senate District 20 was a battleground race between Republicans and Democrats. Democrats held a majority in both the state

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

(36–24) and

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

(18–12). The Republican Party of Oregon for the 2010 election cycle hosted the first online primary. On July 30 the primary results were released announcing Olsen as the nominated candidate for senate district 20 from the Republican Party of Oregon. Olsen narrowly defeated incumbent Martha Schrader by 227 votes. In 2014, Olsen proposed a referendum to end same-day voter registration; voters rejected his proposal. From June 20, 2019, all 11 Republican state senators for Oregon, including Olsen, refused to show up for work at the

Oregon State Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capitol, Salem. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 an ...

, instead going into hiding, some even fleeing the state. Their aim was to prevent a vote on a

cap-and-trade Emissions trading is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). Carbon emission t ...

proposal that would dramatically lower

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...

by 2050 to combat climate change. The Senate holds 30 seats, but 1 is vacant due to a death. Without the Republican senators, the remaining 18 Democratic state senators could not reach a quorum of 20 to hold a vote. On December 11, 2020, Olsen and 11 other state Republican officials signed a letter requesting

Oregon Attorney General The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The attorney general i ...

Ellen Rosenblum join Texas and other states contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election in Texas v. Pennsylvania. Rosenblum announced she had filed in behalf of the defense, and against Texas, the day prior. Olson resigned from the Senate effective January 10, 2021.

References

External links

2014 Primary Election Voters' Pamphlet, page 16

2010 Primary Election Voters' Pamphlet, page 18

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olsen, Alan Living people 1947 births Republican Party Oregon state senators Politicians from Canby, Oregon People from McHenry, Illinois Purdue University alumni 21st-century American politicians