Laurie Monnes Anderson (born December 31, 1945) is an American Democratic politician who most recently served in the

Oregon 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 ...

, representing District 25 in eastern

Multnomah County, Oregon Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thou ...

, including parts of the cities of Fairview, Gresham, Troutdale, and Wood Village. She previously served two 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 ...

Early life and career

Born Laurie Monnes in

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at the ...

, she grew up in

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

, one of four children of Bud and Ellene Groening Monnes, who were both teachers. She graduated from Gresham High School and received a bachelor's degree in biology from

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

in 1968, and a master's in biology from the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

in 1972. In 1981, she earned a degree in nursing from

Radford University Radford University is a public university in Radford, Virginia. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, graduate programs inclu ...

. She married and raised two children, divorcing in 1985.

Political career

Following a career as a

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

nurse, Monnes Anderson began serving on the Gresham-Barlow School District board in 1991. In 1998, she ran for the

representing District 22, but lost to incumbent Ron Sunseri by 250 votes. In 2000, Sunseri did not seek re-election, and Monnes Anderson defeated Republican nominee Ed Golobay for the seat in a close election. She was re-elected to the seat (renumbered to District 50) by a wide margin in 2002 over Ernest Hodgin. In 2004, she sought election to the Oregon Senate in District 25. In this race, she again faced Ron Sunseri, who had defeated her in her first House race in 1998. However, this time, Monnes Anderson prevailed by 9 percentage points in an expensive race. She was unopposed for her party's nomination in 2008. She defeated Republican Dave Kim in the general election.

Personal

Monnes Anderson lives in

. She is a first cousin of cartoonist

Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...

, the creator of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

''. Monnes Anderson's mother, Ellene Groening Monnes, is the sister of Groening's father Homer.

References

External links

Legislative websiteProject VoteSmart biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monnes Anderson, Laurie 1945 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American Methodists American nurses American women nurses California Democrats Gresham High School (Oregon) alumni Living people Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Oregon Democrats Oregon state senators People from Gresham, Oregon People from Coronado, California Radford University alumni University of Colorado Boulder alumni Willamette University alumni Women state legislators in Oregon