Oregon Blue Book: Governor John Kitzhaber

Governor John Kitzhaber

John Kitzhaber was born in Colfax, Washington, on March 5, 1947. He moved with his family to Oregon at age 11 and graduated from South Eugene High School in 1965. After earning his bachelor’s degree at Dartmouth College, he returned to Oregon to study medicine at the University of Oregon Medical School. He became a doctor and practiced emergency room medicine in Roseburg from 1974 to 1988.

Kitzhaber’s interest in health care public policy, together with a deep concern for the livelihoods of rural Oregonians, compelled him to seek public service. He first won election to the Legislature in 1978 and served a term in the House of Representatives. In 1980, he first won election to the state Senate and eventually served three terms there. He was Senate President from 1985 until 1993.

Oregonians remember Kitzhaber for bringing lawmakers and interest groups together to enact the groundbreaking Oregon Health Plan. Tens of thousands of low and moderate-income Oregon families and their children still have access to health care because of his work as a legislator.

In 1994 and again in 1998, Oregonians elected Kitzhaber as their governor. While leading state government, he presided over eight years of significant economic growth. He won acclaim for his pioneering work on the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, a collaborative effort that brought together government and private landowners to protect clean water and native salmon runs.

After two terms as governor, Kitzhaber continued his work to improve access to cost-effective health care, becoming one of the nation’s most respected voices on health care reform.

In 2010, he won election to an unprecedented third term as governor. Governor Kitzhaber enjoys spending time with his son and also enjoys fly-fishing, white-water rafting and hiking.

Governor John Kitzhaber
254 State Capitol, Salem 97310; 503-378-3111

Governor John Kitzhaber, Salem; Democrat; elected 2010; term expires January 2015.

The governor is elected to a four-year term and is limited to two terms in office during any 12-year period. The governor must be a U.S. citizen, at least 30 years old, and an Oregon resident for three years before taking office.

The governor provides leadership, planning and coordination for the executive branch of state government. He appoints many department and agency heads within the executive branch and appoints members to more than 200 policymaking, regulatory and advisory boards and commissions.

The governor proposes a two-year budget to the Legislature, recommends a legislative program to each regular session and may also call special sessions. He reviews all bills passed by the Legislature and may veto measures he believes are not in the public interest.

The governor chairs both the State Land Board, which manages state-owned lands, and the Progress Board, which sets strategic goals for Oregon. The governor directs state government’s coordination with local and federal governments and is commander-in-chief of the state’s military forces.

The governor appoints judges to fill vacancies in judicial office, has extradition authority and may grant reprieves, commutations and pardons of criminal sentences.

If the office of governor becomes vacant, the office passes, in order, to the secretary of state, state treasurer, president of the Senate and speaker of the House of Representatives. There is no lieutenant governor in Oregon.

Office of the Governor