Ted Kulongoski

American judge and politician (born 1940)

Theodore Ralph Kulongoski (/ˌkʊlənˈɡɒski/ KUUL-ən-GOSS-kee ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the 36th governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party , he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly and also served as the state Insurance Commissioner. He was the Attorney General of Oregon from 1993 to 1997 and a justice of the Oregon Supreme Court from 1997 to 2001. Kulongoski has served in all three branches of the Oregon state government.

Early life and education

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Kulongoski was born in St. Louis, Missouri , in 1940 to Theodore Kulongoski (1905–1941), the son of Polish immigrants, and his wife Helen, née Newcomer (1915–1997). He was one year old when his father died of cancer, and spent the rest of his childhood in a Catholic boys' home. After high school , Kulongoski served in the Marines . With the help of the G.I. Bill , he obtained an undergraduate and Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1970.

Career

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Ted Kulongoski in 1980

After graduating from law school, Kulongoski moved to Eugene, Oregon , and became a labor lawyer . In 1974, Kulongoski was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives and, in 1978, to the Oregon State Senate . In Oregon's 1980 United States Senate election , he ran an unsuccessful race against Republican Bob Packwood . In 1982, he made his first bid for governor; he was defeated by Republican incumbent Victor G. Atiyeh .

At the 1980 Democratic National Convention then-State Senator and U.S. Senate nominee Kulongoski received 8 (0.24%) delegate votes for Vice President of the United States . Kulongoski was not a candidate and incumbent Walter Mondale was easily renominated.

In 1987, Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt appointed Kulongoski to the post of state insurance commissioner. In that role, Kulongoski reformed the state's workers' compensation insurance system, a move that is widely credited for lowering costs to business.

1992 and 1996 elections

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In 1992, Kulongoski was elected as Oregon Attorney General , defeating Republican Rich Rodeman.

As Attorney General, he focused on reforming the juvenile justice system. In 1996, Kulongoski decided against running for re-election as Attorney General, and instead successfully ran for the Oregon Supreme Court . He resigned from the court in 2001 to run for governor.

2002 gubernatorial election

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Main article: 2002 Oregon gubernatorial election

After winning the Democratic party nomination in the 2002 race for governor, Kulongoski's opponent was Republican Kevin Mannix . Kulongoski ran a low-key campaign, emphasizing his reputation as a consensus-builder and problem solver. His television commercials featured such feel-good scenes as the candidate bowling . He argued for a pragmatic approach to solving the state's budget crisis and recession , a marked departure from the more confrontational style of outgoing governor (and fellow Democrat) John Kitzhaber . Mannix argued that the Democratic Party had held the governorship in Oregon too long, and pledged to reduce government spending without cutting vital services. Kulongoski narrowly won the election, winning 618,004 votes (49%), with 581,785 votes (46%) going to Mannix, and 57,760 votes (5%) going to Libertarian candidate Tom Cox.

Kulongoski took office on January 13, 2003. He inherited a state facing a massive budget deficit and high unemployment . Furthermore, he faced the task of dealing with problems with the public employees' pension system without angering the labor unions that backed his campaign. As Governor, he was a member of the National Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association .

2006 gubernatorial election

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Main article: 2006 Oregon gubernatorial election

On December 1, 2005, the Eugene _[Register-Guard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regist

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