Andy Olson (born November 6, 1952) is 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 In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. He served in the Oregon House of Representatives for District 15, representing parts of

Linn Linn may refer to: People * Linn (surname) * Linn (given name) * Linn da Quebrada, stage name of Brazilian singer, actress, screenwriter and television personality Lina Pereira dos Santos (born 1990) Places Germany * Linn (Gangkofen), a part ...

and Benton counties, including the city of Albany. Olson served as co-speaker pro tempore in the

76th Oregon Legislative Assembly The 76th Oregon Legislative Assembly convened beginning on , for the first of its two regular sessions. All 60 seats of the House of Representatives and 16 of the 30 state senate seats were up for election in 2010. The general election for those s ...

with

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 ...

Tina Kotek Tina Kotek (born September 30, 1966) is an American politician and the governor-elect of Oregon. Kotek served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2013 to 2022. She was the first openly lesbian person to serve as a speaker of ...

due to a power-sharing arrangement in the evenly divided Oregon House.

Early life and career

Olson was born in

Norfolk, Nebraska Norfolk ( or ) is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,210 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth ...

. He earned an Associate of Arts in Law Enforcement from Chemeketa Community College and a BA in Human Resources Management from

George Fox University George Fox University is a private Christian university in Newberg, Oregon. Founded as a school for Quakers in 1891, it is now the largest private university in Oregon with more than 4,000 students combined between its main campus in Newberg, it ...

. In 1978, Olson became an Oregon State Police Officer and was stationed all over the state, eventually serving as Lieutenant and Station Commander in Albany, McMinnville, and Beaverton. He retired from the state police in 2007. Olson continues to teach public safety with a focus on leadership and character at Linn–Benton Community College.

Political career

In 2004, incumbent Republican

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 ...

announced that she would not seek re-election in district 15, while simultaneously endorsing Olson as her successor. Olson defeated Democrat Wes Price to win election in November and has since been re-elected six times. In February 2018, Olson announced that he would not seek another term in office and that he would retire as of the end of the current term in January 2019. Including his 30 years with the Oregon State Police, Olson devoted almost 44 years to public service.

Personal life

Olson and his wife Pam have three children and live in Albany.

References

External links

Legislative website

Project VoteSmart biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Andy Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives People from Norfolk, Nebraska People from Albany, Oregon Living people American state police officers 1952 births George Fox University alumni Oregon police officers 21st-century American politicians