Edward Norman Fadeley (December 13, 1929 – August 30, 2015) was an American attorney 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 the 88th justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.

. Previously he served in both 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 ...

and 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 ...

, serving one session as President of the Oregon Senate. In later years he faced allegations of sexual harassment and was reprimanded for legal ethics violations.

Early life

Edward Norman Fadeley was born on December 13, 1929, in

Williamsville, Missouri Williamsville is a city in Wayne County, Missouri, United States, along the Black River. The population was 279 at the 2020 census. History Williamsville was platted in 1871 when the railroad was extended to that point. A post office called wi ...

, the son of Robert Sylvester Fadeley and Nelle Fadeley (née Norman), both teachers. He was raised in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

,Baker, Nena (December 21, 1997). Fadeley has courted controversy in his career. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

''. and at the age of 14 he decided he wanted to become a lawyer.Leeson, Fred (October 30, 1988). Fadeley takes aim for jugular. ''

'', p. C4. After high school he attended and graduated from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

in Columbia. Edward Fadeley then joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

where he served for three years. After the Navy he moved to

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

where he enrolled at the

University of Oregon School of Law The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school in the U.S. state of Oregon. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus i ...

. There he purchased a house when he arrived in 1954 and announced during the first term that he would finish first in his class. In 1957, Fadeley graduated from

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

at the university, first in his class.Green, Ashbel (December 17, 1997). Fadeley has cancer, will quit state high court. ''

''. He married Nancie Peacocke and the couple had two children, Shira and Charles. Edward Fadeley would then enter private legal practice where he remained for 31 years. He divorced Nancie in 1984 and married his second wife, Darian, many years later.

Political career

In 1960, Fadeley was elected to the

as a Democrat from Eugene. He would serve 26 years in the Oregon Legislature. In 1963, he moved to the

where he would become Senate President in 1983. Beginning in 1971 he would serve several sessions in the legislature with his then-wife Nancie Fadeley, who was serving in the House. While in the legislature in 1983 he failed in an attempt to amend the

Oregon Constitution The Oregon Constitution is the governing document of the U.S. state of Oregon, originally enacted in 1857. As amended the current state constitution contains eighteen sections, beginning with a bill of rights.

to prevent any

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

in the state, but did defeat attempts to pass a sales tax during the session. In 1986, he ran for

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, but lost in the primary election to

Neil Goldschmidt Neil Edward Goldschmidt (June 16, 1940 – June 12, 2024) was an American businessman and Democratic politician from the state of Oregon who held local, state, and federal offices over three decades. After serving as mayor of Portland, Oregon, ...

. In 1988 Fadeley ran for an open seat on the Oregon Supreme Court to fill the position of J. R. Campbell whose term had expired and won on November 8, 1988, against Vern Cook.Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Officials in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on January 22, 2008. He won re-election to a second six-year term in 1994 before resigning from the court on January 31, 1998. During his campaign in 1988 Fadeley violated the rules of judicial ethics by asking for campaign contributions. This led to the first time in the history of the

that the court censured one of its own members. In 1996, the Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability filed a complaint against justice Fadeley alleging sexual harassment, among other charges.Mapes, Jeff (November 22, 1996). Fadeley controversy is latest in a series. ''

''. The following year the Commission recommended Fadeley be suspended, but the Oregon Supreme Court dismissed all allegations after Fadeley resigned from the court. Mary Botkin, a labor lobbyist, said of Fadeley, "During a period when women went from being office toys and decoration to serious partners in the world of work, I think Ed was one of those people who never really understood the transition." Betty Roberts, Fadeley's former State Senate colleague, said that "He thinks any woman wants to be told -- even in a business setting -- that they are good looking."

Later years

Fadeley was later sued by the firm that defended him against the ethics violations allegation for fees owed, but Fadeley claimed the fees charged were "outrageous" as well as that the defense was inadequate. In 2007, Fadeley was suspended by the Oregon Supreme Court for 30 days for violations of ethics rules including charging an excessive fee.Green, Ashabel (February 24, 2007). Former justice suspended for breaking rules. ''

''. He died of heart failure at a hospital in

Springfield, Oregon 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 ...

, on August 30, 2015. He had suffered a heart attack around a week prior to his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fadeley, Edward Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives 1929 births 2015 deaths People from Wayne County, Missouri University of Missouri alumni University of Oregon School of Law alumni Presidents of the Oregon State Senate Democratic Party Oregon state senators Democratic Party of Oregon chairs Politicians from Eugene, Oregon Lawyers from Eugene, Oregon 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly Candidates in the 1986 United States elections