Robert Eugene Jenson (May 11, 1931 – January 6, 2018) was a Republican politician from the U.S. 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 served in 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 ...

representing District 58, which encompassed Union County,

Wallowa County Wallowa County () is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,391, making it Oregon's fifth-least populous county. Its county seat is Enterprise. According to ''Oregon Geographic Name ...

, and portions of

Umatilla County Umatilla County () is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population of 81,826 ranks it as the 14th largest in Oregon, and largest in Eastern Oregon. Hermiston is the largest city in Umatilla County, but Pendleton remain ...

. District 58 included the cities Pendleton, La Grande, and

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

. Jenson served in the Oregon House since 1997 until 2015. At the time of his retirement, as the member with the most seniority, he held the honorary title of

Dean of the House The dean of the House is, in some legislatures, the member with the longest unbroken record of service. U.C. Mandal, ''Dictionary Of Public Administration'' (2007), p. 123. Specific examples include: * Dean of the United States House of Representat ...

Early life and career

Jenson was born on a ranch in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

in 1931. He received a bachelor of science degree and master's degree in United States History from

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...

. He served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

from 1950 to 1954 and then worked as an airport commissioner. Jenson moved to eastern Oregon in 1967 and taught at

Blue Mountain Community College Blue Mountain Community College is a public community college in Pendleton, Oregon, United States. It serves Umatilla and Morrow counties as well as most of Baker County. It was established in 1962 and offers Associate of Arts degrees, Associ ...

for 26 years. He also taught high school for 4 years.

Political career

In 1996, Jenson ran as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

for the seat in the

vacated by Chuck Norris, who did not seek re-election, defeating Republican Don Armstrong. In 1998, Jenson changed his party affiliation to

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

after becoming dischanted with what he considered extreme environmental positions of the Democratic Party. He was re-elected to the House as an Independent in 1998, and then a year later, became a Republican. He was re-elected as a Republican in 2000, and won re-election to the House every two years until 2014, when he did not run for reelection.

Personal

Jenson and his wife Evelyn lived in Pendleton. They had four children. He died from cancer on January 6, 2018, at his home in Pendleton.

Electoral history

References

External links

Legislative website

Project VoteSmart biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenson, Bob 1931 births 2018 deaths Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska Military personnel from Omaha, Nebraska Montana State University alumni Politicians from Pendleton, Oregon Educators from Oregon Oregon Democrats Oregon independents Oregon Republicans United States Air Force airmen Deaths from cancer in Oregon 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly