David B. "Dave" Frohnmayer (July 9, 1940 – March 10, 2015) was an American attorney, politician, and academic administrator from

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 was the 15th president of the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

, serving from 1994 to 2009. His tenure as president was the second-longest after

John Wesley Johnson John Wesley Johnson (born 22 March 1836-September 14, 1898) was a famous figure in the early development of Oregon's higher education. He is probably best known today as the first President of the University of Oregon, serving from 1876 to 1893. __ ...

. He was the first native Oregonian to run the University of Oregon. Frohnmayer previously served as

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 is ch ...

from 1981 to 1991, and subsequently served as dean at the

University of Oregon School of Law The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school in the U.S. state of Oregon. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus in ...

before serving as president of the university. He served in an " of counsel" attorney role with the Oregon law firm, Harrang Long Gary Rudnick P.C.

Early life and education

David Braden Frohnmayer was born in Medford,

. He graduated ''magna cum laude'' 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 higher le ...

in 1962. He attended

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

on a

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, and received his law degree from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

in 1967.

Political career

Frohnmayer, 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 ...

, served three terms 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 ...

from 1975 to 1981, representing southern Eugene.

Oregon Attorney General

Frohnmayer was elected as

in November 1980, defeating Democrat Harl H. Haas, Jr., and was sworn into office on January 5, 1981. He was re-elected in 1984, when he defeated former State Sen. Vernon Cook (D), and 1988, when he was nominated by both the Democratic and Republican parties, and defeated Fred Oerther, the Libertarian nominee. Frohnmayer served as Attorney General until his resignation on December 31, 1991, when he became Dean of the

. As Attorney General, one of his most notable cases involved leading the prosecution of members of the

Rajneesh movement The Rajneesh movement are people inspired by the Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931–1990), also known as Osho, particularly initiated disciples who are referred to as "neo-sannyasins". They used to be known as ''Rajneeshees'' or "Orang ...

(followers of

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Rajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain; 11 December 193119 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and later as Osho (), was an Indian godman, mystic, and founder of the Rajneesh movement. He was viewed as a controv ...

Supreme Court Litigation

Frohnmayer prevailed in six out of the seven cases that he took to the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

: ''Oregon v. Kennedy'' (1982), '' Oregon v. Bradshaw'' (1983), ''Oregon v. Elstad'' (1985), '' Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife v. Klamath Indian Tribe'' (1985), ''Whitely v. Albers'' (1986), and ''

Employment Division v. Smith ''Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith'', 494 U.S. 872 (1990), is a United States Supreme Court case that held that the state could deny unemployment benefits to a person fired for violating a state prohibition on t ...

'' (1990). His one unsuccessful Supreme Court case was ''Tower v. Glover'' (1984).

1990 gubernatorial election

Frohnmayer was the

nominee for

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

in 1990. Popular Democratic incumbent–and former

UC Berkeley School of Law The University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (commonly known as Berkeley Law or UC Berkeley School of Law) is the law school of the University of California, Berkeley, a public research university in Berkeley, California. It is one of 1 ...

classmate–

Neil Goldschmidt Neil Edward Goldschmidt (born June 16, 1940) is an American businessman and Democratic politician from the state of Oregon who held local, state and federal offices over three decades. After serving as the United States Secretary of Transportat ...

withdrew after Frohnmayer's campaign manager, Donna Zajonc, said "...you've got to believe that the best family will win" at a news conference,“The 30-Year Secret”
Willamette Week, May 12, 2004. which was then reported by Jeff Mapes in ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

''. Zajonc's statement was interpreted at the time as a threat to use Goldschmidt's collapsing marriage as a political issue. Goldschmidt quickly withdrew from the race, an event that was considered one of the "great mysteries in Oregon politics" until 2004, when Goldschmidt admitted to having a sexual relationship with a minor in the 1970s. Frohnmayer subsequently lost the election to

Barbara Roberts Barbara Kay Roberts (née Hughey; born December 21, 1936) is an American politician from the state of Oregon. A native of the state, she served as the List of Governors of Oregon, 34th Governor of Oregon from 1991 to 1995. She was the first List ...

, the Democrat who was nominated after Goldschmidt's withdrawal, in a three-way race that included

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 ...

Oregon Citizens Alliance The Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA) was a conservative Christian political activist organization, founded by Lon Mabon in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was founded in 1986 as a vehicle to challenge then–U.S. Senator Bob Packwood in the Republican p ...

-backed candidate Al Mobley.

Academic career

Frohnmayer taught law at the University of Oregon from 1971 to 1981, before he became state attorney general, and returned to the university as law school dean on January 1, 1992. He was appointed president of the university in 1994. Frohnmayer announced his retirement as president on April 29, 2008, and was succeeded on July 31, 2009 by Richard Lariviere. Frohnmayer's tenure was widely acclaimed; ''

The Register-Guard ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene- ...

s editorial "Retiring from the University he Remade" opined that "Dave Frohnmayer has steered the University of Oregon through grim and changing times and he's leaving a different and stronger institution." ''

'' called Frohnmayer's presidency "one of the most remarkable higher education performances in Oregon history." During his tenure as president, he established an enduring relationship between the university and Phil Knight and Nike, which has continued to provide significant financial support to the university's athletic program. In April 2000, students protesting labor conditions at Nike blocked Frohnmayer from leaving his office, until they were arrested. Later in April, the University joined the Workers Rights Consortium. In response, Knight retracted a $30 million donation. After Frohnmayer withdrew the university from the consortium in February 2001, Knight restored his donation.

Personal life

Frohnmayer met Lynn Johnson, a native of

Grants Pass, Oregon Grants Pass is the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on Interstate 5, northwest of Medford, along the Rogue River. The population was 39,189 at the 2020 census. History Early Hudson's Bay Company hunt ...

and returned

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...

volunteer, while working in Washington, D.C. as executive assistant to Robert Finch,

Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

in the

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

administration. They were set up by both sets of their parents, who were friends in Southern Oregon. After marrying, they returned to Oregon where they raised their five children—Kirsten,

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

, Katie, Jonathan, and Amy—in Eugene. In 1983, during Frohnmayer's first term as Oregon's Attorney General, daughters Kirsten and Katie were diagnosed with

Fanconi anemia Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a rare genetic disease resulting in impaired response to DNA damage. Although it is a very rare disorder, study of this and other bone marrow failure syndromes has improved scientific understanding of the mechanisms of nor ...

, a rare and life-threatening recessive genetic illness. Their third daughter Amy, born in 1987, also inherited the disease. Lynn and Dave together founded the FA Family Support Group in 1985 to help share disease and treatment information with other families afflicted by the illness and in 1989 established the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund to fund research that would lead to a cure. All three Frohnmayer daughters died of complications related to Fanconi anemia: Katie in 1991 at age 12, Kirsten in 1997 at age 24, and Amy Elizabeth Winn in 2016 at age 29. Frohnmayer was also a founding Director of the

National Marrow Donor Program The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that operates the Be The Match Registry of volunteer hematopoietic cell donors and umbilical cord blood units in the Unite ...

and served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Frohnmayer's upbringing was heavily influenced by his father Otto's dedication to the law and public service and his mother MarAbel's love of music. His elder sister, Mira, had a distinguished career as a vocalist and music professor. His brother,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, served as chairman of the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

under the administration of President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

and briefly challenged incumbent senator

Gordon Smith Gordon Smith may refer to: In politics *Gordon H. Smith (born 1952), former U.S. Senator from Oregon, and current Area Authority for the LDS Church * Gordon Elsworth Smith (1918–2005), Canadian politician * Gordon Smith (academic) (1927–2009), ...

in the 2008 election as an independent. His late brother, Philip, who resided in New Orleans, Louisiana, was professor of music at Loyola University. In 2005, the University of Oregon's MarAbel B. Frohnmayer Music Building was named in honor of his mother.

Death

On March 10, 2015, Frohnmayer died of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

, aged 74. "I am heartbroken at the loss of my wonderful and brilliant friend Dave Frohnmayer," Gov.

Kate Brown Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 38th governor of Oregon since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th district of the ...

said in a statement. "His deep love of Oregon is reflected in a lifetime of leadership and public service. My thoughts and prayers go out to Lynn and the Frohnmayer family at this difficult time."

References

External links

Office of the President Emeritus
- Office of the President Emeritus at the University of Oregon {{DEFAULTSORT:Frohnmayer, David B 1940 births 2015 deaths Harvard University alumni UC Berkeley School of Law alumni Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford American Rhodes Scholars Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Oregon Attorneys General Politicians from Medford, Oregon Presidents of the University of Oregon Deans of law schools in the United States Deaths from cancer in Oregon Deaths from prostate cancer Politicians from Eugene, Oregon Lawyers from Eugene, Oregon Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 20th-century American lawyers