Gregory Hector Macpherson (born May 3, 1950) is a

Democratic 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

politician in the US state of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

. From 2003 to 2009, he served as the state representative from District 38, which includes most of Lake Oswego and portions of southwestern

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Early life

Macpherson was born in

Corvallis, Oregon Corvallis ( ) is a city and the county seat of 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 County. As of the 2020 Unite ...

, and grew up in rural Linn County. His paternal grandfather,

Hector Macpherson, Sr. Hector Macpherson Sr. (April 22, 1875 – March 28, 1970) was a Canadian–American academic and politician of Scottish descent. An academic, politician, and dairy farmer in the state of Oregon, he was the father of Hector Macpherson Jr. Bio ...

, was elected in 1926, 1928, and 1938 as a

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

Republican member the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

. During his political career his grandfather helped found the

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

. His father, Hector Jr., served in the Oregon State Senate 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 Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1972 and his

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gr ...

from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

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. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of t ...

, 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 In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a p ...

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 office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The attorney general i ...

in 2008, running to succeed incumbent Hardy Myers, but lost in the Democratic primary to John Kroger. In 2012, Macpherson announced that he would run for mayor of his hometown of Lake Oswego.

Personal

Macpherson and his wife Tory live in Lake Oswego. He has two adult children.

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 American politicians