Robert Eugene Jenson (May 11, 1931 – January 6, 2018) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from the U.S. state of

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

. He served in 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 the ...

representing District 58, which encompassed Union County,

Wallowa County Wallowa County () is the northeastern most county in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,391, making it Oregon's fifth-least populous county. Its county seat is Enterprise. According to ''Oregon Geographic Name ...

, and portions of

Umatilla County Umatilla County () is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,075. Hermiston is the largest city in Umatilla County, but Pendleton remains the county seat. Umatilla County is part of ...

. District 58 included the cities Pendleton, La Grande, and

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterprise ...

. Jenson served in the Oregon House since 1997 until 2015. At the time of his retirement, as the member with the most seniority, he held the honorary title of

Dean of the House The dean of the House is, in some legislatures, the member with the longest unbroken record of service. U.C. Mandal, ''Dictionary Of Public Administration'' (2007), p. 123. Specific examples include: * Dean of the United States House of Representat ...

Early life and career

Jenson was born on a ranch in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

in 1931. He received a bachelor of science degree and master's degree in United States History from

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 6 ...

. He served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

from 1950 to 1954 and then worked as an airport commissioner. Jenson moved to eastern Oregon in 1967 and taught at

Blue Mountain Community College Blue Mountain Community College is a community college located in Pendleton, Oregon, United States, and serves Umatilla and Morrow counties as well as most of Baker County. It was established in 1962 and currently offers Associate of Arts degr ...

for 26 years. He also taught high school for 4 years.

Political career

In 1996, Jenson ran as a

Democrat 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 ...

for the seat in the

vacated by Chuck Norris, who did not seek re-election, defeating Republican Don Armstrong. In 1998, Jenson changed his party affiliation to

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

after becoming dischanted with what he considered extreme environmental positions of the Democratic Party. He was re-elected to the House as an Independent in 1998, and then a year later, became a

. He was re-elected as a Republican in 2000, and won re-election to the House every two years until 2014, when he did not run for reelection.

Personal

Jenson and his wife Evelyn lived in Pendleton. They had four children. He died from cancer on January 6, 2018, at his home in Pendleton.

References

External links

Legislative website

Project VoteSmart biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenson, Bob 1931 births 2018 deaths Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska Military personnel from Omaha, Nebraska Montana State University alumni Politicians from Pendleton, Oregon Educators from Oregon Oregon Democrats Oregon Independents Oregon Republicans 21st-century American politicians United States Air Force airmen Deaths from cancer in Oregon