Andy Olson (born November 6, 1952) is a Republican politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. He served in the

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 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of t ...

for District 15, representing parts of Linn and

Benton Benton may refer to: Places Canada *Benton, a local service district south of Woodstock, New Brunswick *Benton, Newfoundland and Labrador United Kingdom * Benton, Devon, near Bratton Fleming * Benton, Tyne and Wear United States *Benton, Alabam ...

counties, including the city of Albany. Olson served as co-speaker pro tempore in the 76th Oregon Legislative Assembly with Democrat Tina Kotek due to a power-sharing arrangement in the evenly divided Oregon House.

Early life and career

Olson was born in

Norfolk, Nebraska Norfolk ( or ) is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,210 at the 2010 census, making it the nint ...

. He earned an

Associate of Arts An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

in Law Enforcement from Chemeketa Community College and a BA in Human Resources Management from George Fox University. In 1978, Olson became an

Oregon State Police The Oregon State Police (OSP) is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. The OSP enforces all of Oregon's criminal laws and assists local law enforcement agencies. Terri Davie has served as Superintendent since November 1, 2020. ...

Officer and was stationed all over the state, eventually serving as Lieutenant and Station Commander in Albany, McMinnville, and Beaverton. He retired from the state police in 2007. Olson continues to teach public safety with a focus on leadership and character at Linn–Benton Community College.

Political career

In 2004, incumbent Republican Betsy Close announced that she would not seek re-election in district 15, while simultaneously endorsing Olson as her successor. Olson defeated Democrat Wes Price to win election in November and has since been re-elected six times. In February 2018, Olson announced that he would not seek another term in office and that he would retire as of the end of the current term in January 2019. Including his 30 years with the Oregon State Police, Olson devoted almost 44 years to public service.

Personal life

Olson and his wife Pam have three children and live in Albany.

References

External links

Legislative website

Project VoteSmart biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Andy Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives People from Norfolk, Nebraska People from Albany, Oregon Living people American state police officers 1952 births George Fox University alumni Oregon police officers 21st-century American politicians