Jackie Winters (April 15, 1937 – May 29, 2019)
was an American
Republican politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
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 ...
. She served as a
state senator
A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
History
There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
, representing the 10th district in
Salem. She was Senate Minority Leader. She died of lung cancer on May 29, 2019.
Early life
Jackie Winters began her lifelong interest in citizen involvement in public policy as she listened to her parents’ discussions around the table, first in Topeka, Kansas where she was born, and later in Portland, Oregon where her family moved in 1943. She attended Portland Public Schools and continued her education through the Oregon State University System’s Continuing Education coursework, with an emphasis on Intergovernmental Relations.
She began her governmental service in 1959 at University of Oregon Medical School in the medical records unit and later joined the staff of the Portland Model Cities Program. In 1969 she was recruited to be supervisor of the Office of Economic Opportunity’s New Resources Program at the request of Governor Tom McCall. In 1979 she was appointed Ombudsman by Governor Victor Atiyeh. During this service, she helped create the Oregon Food Share Program, the first statewide non-profit food sharing network, which continues today serving most of Oregon’s neediest families.
In 1985, Winters opened her first Jackie’s Ribs restaurant, in Salem. Over time, she and her family expanded operations to include three restaurants, two franchises, catering services, private parties and numerous appearances in national Bar-B-Q Cook-offs.
Political career
Winters 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 ...
in 1998, and became the first
African-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
Republican ever to serve in 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 ...
.
She was re-elected to this office in 2000. Jackie Winters 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 ...
in 2002. She won reelection in 2006, 2010, 2014 and again in 2018.
She ran for the U.S. Congress in 2004, losing in the Republican primary to Jim Zupancic, who went on to lose in the general election to incumbent
Darlene Hooley
Darlene Kay Olson Hooley (born April 4, 1939) is an American politician and former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon who represented the state's .
A high school teacher by profession, she served as a city counc ...
.
On November 15, 2017, Winters was elected as Senate Minority Leader to replace
Ted Ferrioli
Ted Ferrioli (born February 15, 1951) is an American politician who served as an Oregon state senator from 1997 until 2017. He represented Senate District 30, which encompasses Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Malheur, Sherman, ...
. She became the first black legislative leader in the state.
Legal dispute
In 2018, Winters and the
Home Owners Association she serves on was sued for violating the
Fair Housing Act
The Civil Rights Act of 1968 () is a Lists of landmark court decisions, landmark law in the United States signed into law by President of the United States, United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during the King assassination riots.
Titles ...
and Oregon's own fair housing laws. The HOA board Winters serves on allegedly contacted the Salem-Keizer School District and ordered the bus for a disabled girl to pick her up from a road outside the HOA subdivision instead of her home. When challenged by the girl's mother, the HOA banned buses from entering HOA subdivision entirely. Another family in the subdivision with a disabled child reportedly also had their child's bus service banned from the subdivision.
Electoral history
References
External links
Official State Senate biography
Official campaign website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winters, Jackie
1937 births
2019 deaths
21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly
21st-century American women politicians
African-American Christians
African-American state legislators in Oregon
American Protestants
Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives
Republican Party Oregon state senators
Politicians from Salem, Oregon
Politicians from Topeka, Kansas
Portland Community College alumni
Women state legislators in Oregon
Deaths from lung cancer in Oregon
Candidates in the 2004 United States elections
20th-century American women politicians
20th-century African-American women
21st-century African-American women politicians
21st-century African-American politicians
African-American history of Oregon
20th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly