Randy Rasmussen | The Oregonian/OregonLive | 2013
Bob Jenson of Pendleton, who represented Eastern Oregon in the Oregon House of Representatives for nearly two decades, has died at age 86, legislative leaders said Monday.
Jenson, a longtime community college history teacher, was first elected in 1996 as a Democrat, then in 1998 as an Independent, then eight more times as a Republican. At the time of his retirement in 2015, he was the most senior member of the House.
Michelle Cole | The Oregonian/OregonLive | 2010
Rep. Bob Jenson walks door-to-door in 2010 during an unusual contested Republican primary for the seat he had held for 13 years. He won.
He was known as one of the most moderate Republican in Salem. He co-sponsored legislation that granted in-state tuition to undocumented students who graduated from Oregon high schools. And he supported temporary 2010 tax increases on businesses and high-income households to help pay for state services during the aftermath of the great recession.
Because he voted with Democrats to put those tax measures before voters, he faced a primary challenge from a more conservative Republican that year. But Jenson prevailed.
Betsy Hammond | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Rep. Bob Jenson gets a hug from a House colleague after his farewell address in 2015. He was the most senior member of the House at the time.
Jenson was praised Monday by former legislative colleagues and others who knew him for his selflessness and his ability to work well with others.
House Republican Leader Mike McLane, who served alongside Jenson with five years, said in a statement that Jenson “was a true illustration of what it means to be a servant leader, and was always someone who was willing to do what he thought was right, regardless of the political consequences.”
Thomas Boyd / The Oregonian / 2008
Rep. Bob Jenson, seated left, at a 2008 hearing on the Oregon State Hospital with, from left, then-Department of Human Services director Bruce Goldberg, Sen. Margaret Carter and Senate President Peter Courtney.
Senate President Peter Courtney served in the House alongside Jenson during the Pendleton representative’s first term before being elected to the Senate in 1999.
“I served with Bob,” Courtney said in a statement. “He always worked hard to represent Eastern Oregon. He was a gentleman and statesman. He was a role model for many of his colleagues. I am saddened by his passing.”
Michael Lloyd | The Oregonian/OregonLive | 2013
In 2013, the Oregon House' new Speaker of the House Tina Kotek talked with the longest serving member of the chamber, Bob Jenson of Pendleton.
Jackie Winters, recently elected Oregon’s Senate minority leader, served in the House with Jenson during the 1999 and 2001 sessions. She said in a statement, “Representative Jenson was the rare legislator that worked well with everyone he met. He made a tremendous contribution to his district and to the state of Oregon, and he will be dearly missed.” To his family she said, “Thank you sincerely for sharing him with us."
He and his wife, Evelyn, lived in Pendleton for more than 50 years. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children.
Stephanie Yao | The Oregonian/OregonLive | 1999
Deputy House Republican Leader Greg Barreto, a Republican from Cove, succeeded Jenson in representing House District 58.
“For years, Bob stood as a pillar of our distric," Barreto said in a statement. "He gave so much to our friends and neighbors over the years, and will be remembered fondly by many. He was very helpful and generous when I first took office and was always very gracious with his time and encouragement. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to get to know him and his family better once I became a legislator and am humbled to follow in his footsteps.”
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