Grattan Kerans (January 2, 1941 – January 16, 2019) was an American politician 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 ...

, who 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 ...

from 1974 through 1984, and in 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 ...

from 1986 to 1993. He held the position of Speaker of the House during the 1983 legislative session.

Biography

Early years

Grattan Kerans was born January 2, 1941, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the son of Edwin Grattan Kerans and the former Anne Kelley.Cecil L. Edwards, "Grattan Kerans," in Nancy Weatherly Sharp and James Roger Sharp (eds.), ''American Legislative Leaders in the West, 1911-1994.'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997; pp. 160-161. His father was a dentist for the

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...

and his mother a lawyer.Brent Walth
"The Player: Liberal, Articulate and Dogged, Sen. Grattan Kerans Sometimes Rubbed People Wrong, But He Was Always in the Game,"
''Eugene Register-Guard,'' vol. 126, no. 332 (Sept. 20, 1993), pp. A1, A4. Grattan Kerans' unusual first name was in honor of a grandfather who had been a prominent official in the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and who had worked in the presidential administration of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. Kerans attended public schools in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and following graduation attended

Montgomery College Montgomery College (MC) is a Public college, public community college in Montgomery County, Maryland. Founded officially in 1946 as Montgomery Junior College, its name comes from the county in which it is located. The earliest start date that c ...

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...

. In 1965 Kerans married the former Janet Raye Holsclaw. The couple had one child, a son. He worked as a shoe salesman, a warehouse employee, and a taxi driver during his younger years. In 1969 Kerans moved to the American West, relocating to attend 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 ...

to study

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. Kerans became the editor of the campus daily newspaper of the University of Oregon, the ''

Oregon Daily Emerald The ''Daily Emerald'' is the independent, student-run weekly newspaper produced at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Its predecessor, the ''Oregon Daily Emerald'' newspaper, founded in 1899, trained many prominent write ...

'', serving in that position from 1970 to 1971.Romel Hernandez, "Class of 1996, Class of 1971," ''The Oregonian,'' June 16, 1996; pg. A20. Following graduation he took his editorial capability to the world of politics, becoming editor of the ''Oregon Democrat Magazine,'' a publication of the

Democratic Party of Oregon The Democratic Party of Oregon is the Oregon affiliate of the Democratic Party. The State Central Committee, made up of two delegates elected from each of Oregon's 36 counties and one additional delegate for every 15,000 registered Democrats, is ...

Political career

In November 1974, Kerans won election to the

from Lane County, a position he continued to hold through five terms of office. During his 10-year career in the Oregon House, Kerans served as Chair of the Elections Committee and Rules Committee, and as the floor whip for the majority Democrats. In 1983, Kerans was elected by his peers as the

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

for the biennial legislative session held in that year. Kerans gave up his seat in the House in 1984 to run for

Oregon State Treasurer The Oregon State Treasurer is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the 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, the office holder head ...

. Chosen as the Democratic nominee in the May

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

, Kerans went on to lose to Republican

Bill Rutherford Alfred William Rutherford is Professor and Chair in Biochemistry of Solar energy in the Department of Life sciences at Imperial College London. Education Rutherford was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School for Boys, Morpeth and the Un ...

in the November 1984

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, falling to defeat by a margin of 18 percentage points. Finding himself outside of government for the first time in a decade, Kerans took a position as a lobbyist for the City of Eugene, holding the post for one year. He established a publication design company. During the fall of 1987 Kerans joined the Oregon for Dukakis State Steering Committee and was one of 25 members of the steering committee introduced by

Kitty Dukakis Katharine "Kitty" Dukakis (née Dickson; born December 26, 1936) is an American author. She is the wife of former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis. Life and career Dukakis was born Katharine Virginia Dickson in Cambridge, Massachusetts, th ...

at an airport press conference. At the Oregon Democratic State Convention in 1988 Kerans was one of ten Oregon Democrats elected as Dukakis delegates to the

1988 Democratic National Convention The 1988 Democratic National Convention was held at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, from July 18 to 21, 1988, to select candidates for the 1988 presidential election. At the convention Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts was nominated for pre ...

in Atlanta, Georgia."Clark to go to Atlanta for Dukakis," ''The Oregonian,'' June 19, 1988. Kerans returned to 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 ...

after election to the

from Lane County in 1986. In 1987, he was the lone dissenter in a 24–1 vote appointing Richard G. Reiten as the new director of the state Economic Development Department.Mapes, Jeff. "Reiten wins approval as economic director" ''The Oregonian''. August 14, 1987. Kerans was concerned about Reiten's membership in the all-male all-men's

Arlington Club The Arlington Club is a gentlemen's club, private social club organized in 1867 by 35 business and banking leaders of Portland, Oregon, Portland in the US state of Oregon. First called the Social Club and later renamed the Arlington Club, it offe ...

, even though Reiten himself was open to the club allowing women to join. Kerans doubted the Arlington Club would change its policies stating, "This is, after all, a 124-year-old club and they haven't changed their minds yet." In 1990, Arlington Club opened its doors to women. Kerans won re-election to a second term in the Oregon Senate in November 1990, but resigned in 1993, prior to completion of his four-year term, to take a job lobbying for the State System of Higher Education. He had failed to win election as

Senate President President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

during the 1993 session.

Later years

Following his years in the legislature, Kerans worked as a

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

for the

Oregon University System The Oregon University System (OUS) was administered by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education (the "Board") and the Chancellor of the OUS, who was appointed by the Board. It was disbanded in June 2015. OUS was responsible for governing the s ...

beginning in 1993 until 2004. Kerans and his wife retired to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

in 2008. They moved to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

in 2017, where Kerans died in January 2019.

Footnotes

External links

Oregon Center for Public PolicyOregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - listing of Speakers of the HouseOregon State Archives: Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerans, Grattan 1941 births 2019 deaths Journalists from Oregon Speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Democratic Party Oregon state senators