Gregory Hector Macpherson (born May 3, 1950) is a Democratic politician in the US 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 ...

. From 2003 to 2009, he served as the state representative from District 38, which includes most of

Lake Oswego Lake Oswego ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, Oregon, Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah County, Oregon, Multnomah and Washington County, Oregon, Washington counties ...

and portions of southwestern

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Early life

Macpherson was born in

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 ...

, and grew up in rural Linn County. His paternal grandfather, Hector Macpherson, Sr., was elected in 1926, 1928, and 1938 as a progressive Republican member the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the State legislature (United States), state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper house, upper and lower chamber: the Oregon State Senate, Sena ...

. During his political career his grandfather helped found the

Oregon Department of Education The Oregon Department of Education is the department responsible for implementing Oregon's public education policies, including academic standards and testing, credentials, and other matters not reserved to the local districts and boards. The ...

. His father, Hector Jr., served in 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 was a cosponsor of the 1973 law that established Oregon's land-use planning system. Macpherson earned his undergraduate degree 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 ...

in 1972 and his

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Some law degrees are professional degrees that are prerequisites or serve as preparation for legal careers. These generally include the Bachelor of Civil Law, Bachelor of Laws, an ...

from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

in 1975. He was admitted to the Oregon bar in 1975. After 41 years, he retired in 2016 as a partner at Stoel Rives LLP in Portland.

Political career

In 2002, Macpherson was elected to 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 ...

, defeating Republican Jim Zupancic. He was re-elected in 2004 and 2006. In the Oregon House, he played a prominent role opposing Measure 37, a controversial ballot

initiative Popular initiative A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition. In direct initiative, the proposition is put direct ...

that invalidated much of Oregon's land use regulation. He was the plaintiff in ''Macpherson v. Department of Administrative Services'', an unsuccessful challenge to Measure 37's constitutionality. As chair of the House Judiciary Committee, he was instrumental in writing Measure 49, a 2007 ballot measure that scaled back some of Measure 37's provisions. In 2006, Macpherson was one of only three Democrats in the Oregon legislature who urged the PUC to oppose refunding Portland General Electric (PGE) customers who had been illegally overcharged by the utility. He was a candidate for

Oregon Attorney General The Oregon attorney general is a statutory officer within the executive branch of the U.S. state, state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Oregon Department of Justice, Department of Justice with its six op ...

in 2008, running to succeed incumbent

Hardy Myers Hardy Myers (October 25, 1939 – November 29, 2016) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served three terms as the 15th attorney general of the state of Oregon, United States. Prior to taking office in 1997, he served from 1975 ...

, but lost in the Democratic primary to John Kroger. In 2012, Macpherson announced that he would run for mayor of his hometown of

Personal

Macpherson and his wife Tory live in

. He has two adult children.

Electoral history

References

External links

Stoel Rives LLP resume
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macpherson, Greg Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Living people 1950 births Politicians from Corvallis, Oregon Politicians from Lake Oswego, Oregon Harvard University alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Oregon lawyers 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly