Edwin Russell Durno Jr. (January 26, 1899 – November 20, 1976) was a physician, politician, an infantry sergeant who was awarded a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

, and a basketball player recognized in the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

. He was a Republican member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

representing

Oregon's 4th congressional district Oregon's 4th congressional district represents the southern half of Oregon's coastal counties, including Coos County, Oregon, Coos, Curry County, Oregon, Curry, Lincoln County, Oregon, Lincoln, Lane County, Oregon, Lane, and Benton County, Or ...

from 1961 to 1963.

Early life and basketball career

Durno was born on a farm in

Linn County, Oregon Linn County is one of the Oregon counties, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 United States census, 2023 census population estimates, the population was 131,496. The county seat is Albany, Oregon, Albany. The county Oreg ...

, near Albany. He attended public schools in Silverton and attended 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 ...

, where he starred on the Ducks' basketball team. Durno was the school's first basketball

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and was a three-time All-Pacific Coast Conference selection. A prolific scorer, Durno led the Ducks to the 1919 conference title and was team captain during his senior year of 1921. He was inducted into the

in 1981, and the University of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. Durno graduated from the University of Oregon with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in 1921 and went on to receive

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

from

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

in 1927, setting up a medical practice in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Military and medical career

Durno served in both

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

(as an infantry sergeant) and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(in the Medical Corps) where he was awarded the

for his service. Durno returned to Oregon after World War II where he practiced medicine in Medford and served on the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners from 1947 to 1958.

Political career

In 1958, he was elected to 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 ...

, and in 1960, was elected to the

, unseating liberal Democrat Charles O. Porter. Doubtful of reelection in a politically marginal district, he did not seek reelection to the House in 1962, instead seeking the Republican nomination for

Wayne Morse Wayne Lyman Morse (October 20, 1900 – July 22, 1974) was an American attorney and United States Senator from Oregon. Morse is well known for opposing the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party’s leadership and for his opposition t ...

's seat in Oregon's 1962 U. S. Senate election. Durno lost the nomination to former state Treasurer Sig Unander. Durno was succeeded by Democrat Robert B. Duncan and returned to his medical practice in Medford, retiring from politics. Durno died in 1976.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Durno, Edwin Russell Republican Party Oregon state senators Physicians from Oregon 1899 births 1976 deaths People from Linn County, Oregon Harvard Medical School alumni Sportspeople from Medford, Oregon Oregon Ducks men's basketball players People from Silverton, Oregon Basketball players from Oregon All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon Phi Delta Theta members American athlete-politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly