Fred Frank Girod (born 1951) is an American politician from

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 is 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 the 9th district, which covers the mid-

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, the ...

, and previously served as the Senate minority leader. He was later succeeded by incumbent minority leader

Tim Knopp Tim Knopp (born September 30, 1965) is an American politician and businessman who served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the Oregon House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005, and the Oregon State Senate from 2013 to 2025. A mem ...

Early life and education

Girod was born in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...

. He graduated from Stayton High School in

Stayton, Oregon Stayton is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States, located southeast of the state Capital (political), capital, Salem, Oregon, Salem, on Oregon Route 22. It is south of Sublimity, Oregon, Sublimity and east of Aumsville, Oregon, Aumsvill ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

Corvallis, Oregon Corvallis ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Oregon, Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton Co ...

, a DMD from Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry, and a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Career

He has been a practicing

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

for 26 years, and 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 ...

in the early 1990s, chairing the Rules Committee. He ran for the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

in 1994, but lost in the primary to Jim Bunn. Girod then served on the Stayton City Council. He was selected by

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and Linn County Republicans to run again for the House in 2006, in the 17th district, following then-representative Jeff Kropf's sudden departure from the 2006 election. He won that election, defeating

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 ...

Dan Thackaberry, and was appointed in 2008 to succeed Senator Roger Beyer of the 9th district upon his resignation. He was sworn in during January 2008, and was re-elected in November 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024.

2019 Senate Republican walkouts

In 2019, Girod refused to show up for work in order to prevent a vote on a

cap-and-trade Carbon emission trading (also called carbon market, emission trading scheme (ETS) or cap and trade) is a type of emissions trading scheme designed for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs). A form of carbon pricing, its purpose ...

proposal that would dramatically lower

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

. On June 20, 2019, all eleven Republican members of the Oregon Senate, including Girod, participated in the

2019 Oregon Senate Republican walkouts A series of Oregon Republican State Senator walkouts began in May 2019 when Republican Party (Oregon), Republican members of the Oregon State Senate refused to attend floor sessions of the Oregon Senate in an effort to stymie Democratic efforts to ...

. Instead of showing up at the

Oregon State Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the Oregon Legislative Assembly, state legislature and the offices of the Governor of Oregon, governor, Oregon Secretary of State, secretary of state, and Oregon State Treasurer, treasurer of t ...

, they went into hiding or fled the state. The Senate holds 30 seats, but one seat was vacant due to the death of Republican Jackie Winters. Without the Republican senators, the remaining 18 Democratic state senators could not reach a quorum of 20 to hold a vote. Although several Republican state senators returned to the Senate chamber on June 29, 2019, leading to the cap-and-trade bill being sent back to committee, Girod remained missing, and did not return for the month's legislative session.

Political positions

Following the

Standoff at Eagle Pass Operation Lone Star (OLS) is a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department along the Mexico–United States border in southern Texas. The operation started in 2021 and is ongoing. According to ...

, Girod signed a letter in support of Texas Governor

Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...

's decision in the conflict.

Personal life

Girod lives in

. Girod's home was destroyed in the 2020 Western United States wildfires. He and his wife did not take their three pet cats with them when they fled their home in the middle of the night. He later said he did not know if they survived and hoped that they did.

Electoral history

References

External links

Legislative website

Project VoteSmart biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Girod, Fred 1951 births American dentists Harvard Kennedy School alumni Living people Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Oregon city council members Oregon Health & Science University alumni Republican Party Oregon state senators 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly Oregon State University alumni People from Stayton, Oregon Politicians from Salem, Oregon