Frank Morse is an American politician served as a member of the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

for the 8th district from 2003 until 2012. He was first elected in 2002, defeating Democrat Barbara Ross, and was re-elected in 2006 and 2010. In September 2012, Morse resigned his office, stating that it was "time for new energy" in the position.

Early life and education

Frank Morse was born and raised in

Lebanon, Oregon Lebanon ( ) is a city in Linn County, Oregon, Linn County, Oregon, United States. Lebanon is located in northwest Oregon, southeast of Salem, Oregon, Salem. The population was 18,447 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lebanon sits be ...

. He graduated from Lebanon High School in 1961, and went on to earn degrees from

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

and

Bushnell University Bushnell University is a private Christian university in Eugene, Oregon. It is historically affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Christian churches and churches of Christ. The institution was renamed from North ...

.State Senator Frank Morse
, official Oregon State Senate site.

Career

Business

Morse has been part of the Morse Bros. family business since 1972, serving in the following positions: Albany Division Manager, Vice President of Operations, Executive Vice President, President, and Chairman. When Morse Bros. merged with MDU Resources Group, Frank continued as President until his retirement in 2000. He moved on to a new business, Environ-Metal Inc., and currently chairs its board. Morse has also headed the boards of the Albany Chamber of Commerce, Cascade Employers Association, Oregon Concrete and Aggregate Producers Association, Greater Pacific Bank, Samaritan Albany General Hospital Board, Samaritan Health Services Board, and Northwest Christian College Trustees. He has also served on the boards of the Albany Boys and Girls Club, the Vern Catt McDowell Corporation, Western Security Bank, OSU Family Business Council, Cockerline Foundation, and Albany Boys and Girls Club Foundation.

Politics

Morse was first elected to the

in 2002,Senator Morse
, from campaign web site. defeating Democrat Barbara Ross, a three-term member of 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 ...

who had lost her seat due to the term limits then in effect. It was Morse's first run for political office. The race was one of six that year that were considered likely to affect party control of the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

, and that attracted hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions. Ross and Morse raised a total of about $500,000, and were noted for eschewing negative advertising for most of the campaign. Morse was reelected in 2006, defeating

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 ...

Mario Magana with 59% of the vote. He has served on the Joint Ways and Means Committee, the Emergency Board, the Public Commission on the Legislature, the Joint Information and Management Technology Committee, the Senate General Government Committee, and the Oregon Innovation and Technology Council. In 2006, Morse delivered a speech on globalization, and specifically on

Thomas Friedman Thomas Loren Friedman (; born July 20, 1953) is an American political commentator and author. He is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner who is a weekly columnist for ''The New York Times''. He has written extensively on foreign affairs, global tr ...

's book ''

The World Is Flat ''The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century'' is a book by Thomas L. Friedman that analyzes globalization, primarily in the early 21st century. The title is a metaphor for viewing the world as a level playing field in te ...

'', to the Friends of the Albany Public Library. He was criticized for purchasing research for the speech from a firm in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

that was cited as a primary source in Friedman's book. In 2007, Morse proposed a comprehensive reform to Oregon's tax system, along with Democratic Senators

Ben Westlund Bernard John "Ben" Westlund II (September 3, 1949 – March 7, 2010) was an American politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A Democrat, he was elected State Treasurer in 2008. Previously, Westlund served in both houses of the Oregon Legislati ...

, Ryan Deckert, and

Kurt Schrader Walter Kurt Schrader (born October 19, 1951) is an American politician and veterinarian serving as the U.S. representative for since 2009. His district covered most of Oregon's central coast, plus Salem, and many of Portland's southern suburbs, ...

. The plan, which would have included a

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

, promised to raise more revenue while costing individual Oregon taxpayers less. It would have required a three-fifths

supermajority A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...

in both houses of the

. It did not pass. The environmental

Oregon League of Conservation Voters The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environme ...

gave Morse's Senate votes a score of 0% in 2003, 17% in 2005, and 58% in 2007. In 2008, the Oregon Legislative Assembly held an experimental session, to explore the possibility of holding annual sessions as a regular practice. Such a change would require an amendment to the

Oregon Constitution The Oregon Constitution is the governing document of the U.S. state of Oregon, originally enacted in 1857. As amended the current state constitution contains eighteen sections, beginning with a bill of rights.

. Senator Morse noted some successes of the experimental session, but advised that it would be more effective to shorten regular sessions in odd-numbered years, and lengthen supplemental sessions, such that sessions are closer in length. Morse resigned halfway through his third term, and the county commissioners in his district appointed

Betsy Close Betsy L. Close (born May 4, 1950) is a Republican politician who served in the Oregon State Senate. Close was sworn into office in October 2012, replacing Frank Morse, who retired before his term ended. Prior to serving as Senator, Close serve ...

as his successor.

Personal life

He and his wife, Linda, whom he married in 1965, have lived in Albany since 1972. They have two children and six grandchildren. They have attended First Christian Church for over 30 years. Morse has chaired the church's board and has served as an elder.

Awards

Morse has received the OSU Family Business Award, OCCAPA Rocky Award, the Associated Oregon Industries Business Leader of the Year Award, and an honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree from Northwest Christian College.

References

External links

Campaign web site
(dormant since 2010) {{DEFAULTSORT:Morse, Frank Republican Party Oregon state senators Businesspeople from Oregon People from Albany, Oregon Oregon State University alumni Living people People from Lebanon, Oregon Bushnell University alumni 21st-century American politicians Year of birth missing (living people)