Bill Morrisette (October 18, 1931 – April 15, 2025) was an American educator and politician in the state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. He was a member of the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the State legislature (United States), statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Ther ...

, representing Springfield (District 6) (2003–2010). He was previously a member of the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

(1999–2002); Mayor of

Springfield, OR Springfield is a city in Lane County, Oregon, Lane County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Willamette Valley, Southern Willamette Valley, it is within the Eugene-Springfield, OR MSA, Eugene-Springfield metropolitan statistical area. Separ ...

(1989–1999); and a Springfield City Council member (1987–1989). He taught

social studies In many countries' curricula, social studies is the combined study of humanities, the arts, and social sciences, mainly including history, economics, and civics. The term was coined by American educators around the turn of the twentieth century as ...

at Springfield High School from 1963 to 1990. Morrisette focused on education and human services while in the

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

. As a member of the

, he served as vice-chair of the Education Committee, and served as a member of Human Resources and Business and Consumer Affairs committees. In the Senate, he chaired the Senate education committee during the 2003 session. He chaired the Senate Health and Human Services Committee during the 2005 session. Morrisette was born in

Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large boas of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are a semiaquatic group of snakes found in tropical South America. Three to five extant and one extinct species are currently recognized, including one of the l ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, and was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He was married to Janice Maureen McKenzie of Helena, Montana in 1951. They lived in Portland and Springfield and were married for 61 years, before Janice died in November 2013. Together, they had eight children, fourteen grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. Morrisette earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in economics and political science from

Carroll College Carroll College is a private Catholic college in Helena, Montana. The college has 21 buildings on a 63-acre campus, has over 35 academic majors, participates in 15 NAIA athletic sports, and is home to All Saints Chapel. The college motto, in L ...

in 1953, and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in education from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

in 1966. Morrisette died on April 15, 2025, at the age of 93.Beloved former Springfield mayor and state legislator Bill Morrisette remembered for his distinctive style
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Electoral history

References

External links

Official Senate web page

Project Vote Smart page

1931 births 2025 deaths Oregon state senators Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Politicians from Springfield, Oregon Mayors of places in Oregon University of Oregon alumni Oregon city council members Schoolteachers from Oregon People from Anaconda, Montana 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly {{Oregon-mayor-stub

Electoral history

See also

References

External links