Jewel Beck Lansing (born c. 1930) is a writer and politician from

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 ...

in the U.S. 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 ...

. She served as

Portland City Auditor The Portland city auditor is one of the fourteen citywide elected positions in Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated ...

from 1983 to 1986.

Early life and education

Lansing grew up in rural

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. She received a bachelor's degree in journalism from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

and a master's degree in education from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. She moved to Portland in 1961.

Political career

She pioneered

performance audit Performance audit refers to an independent examination of a program, function, operation or the management systems and procedures of a governmental or non-profit entity to assess whether the entity is achieving economy, efficiency and effectivenes ...

ing in

and

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

. She served as Multnomah County auditor from 1975 to 1982, and

from 1983 to 1986. She was one of the first two women elected to Multnomah County government, and was the fifth elected to Portland government. Lansing was also the Democratic nominee for

Treasurer of Oregon The Oregon state treasurer is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the Government of Oregon, government of the U.S. state of Oregon, elected by statewide vote to serve a four-year term. As chief financial officer for the state, ...

in 1976 and 1980, narrowly losing to Republican Clay Myers in both general elections.

Books authored

Lansing has published several books. * ''Portland: People, Politics, and Power, 1851-2001''. Oregon State University Press, 2003. * ''Campaigning for Office: A Woman Runs'' (out of print). R & E Publishers, 1991. * ''101 Campaign Tips for Women Candidates and Their Staffs'' (out of print). R & E Publishers, 1991. * ''Deadly Games in City Hall'' (fiction/murder mystery). Skylark Press, 1997. * ''My Montana: A History and Memoir, 1930 to 1950''. Inkwater Press, 2007. * ''A Czech Family Heritage: Bohemia-U.S.A. - 1765-1996'' (out of print) * with Ole J. Lokberg: ''The Beck Family Book: Norway-U.S.A. - 1700-1989'' (out of print) * with Fred Leeson: ''Multnomah: The Tumultuous Story of Oregon's Most Populous County''. Oregon State University Press, 2012.

Personal

Lansing is married and lives in southwest Portland with her husband, Ron. The couple raised two daughters, and a son.

References

External links

Official web site

1976 Marion County Voter's Pamphlet. General Election, November 2, 1976
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lansing, Jewel Portland city auditors Oregon Democrats University of Montana alumni Stanford University alumni American women writers Women in Oregon politics Writers from Portland, Oregon 20th-century Oregon politicians 21st-century American women Living people 1930 births 20th-century American women politicians