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Governor Ted Kulongoski
Theodore R. Kulongoski was born in rural Missouri on November 5, 1940. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Kulongoski was honorably discharged and, on returning from overseas duty and with the help of the GI Bill, he put himself through the University of Missouri, where he earned both his undergraduate and law degrees.
Kulongoski moved to Oregon in 1970 and began practicing law in Eugene. He was elected to the House of Representatives (1974) and to the state Senate (1978), representing portions of Lane and Douglas Counties. In 1987, he was appointed Insurance Commissioner.
Kulongoski was elected Attorney General in 1992 and he was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court in 1996 where he served for 4 1/2 years. Having served in all three branches of state government, Kulongoski brings legal, administrative and legislative expertise to the office of governor.
In his 30 years of public service, Kulongoski has brought together the people of Oregon to solve some of our state’s most difficult issues—from protecting older Oregonians from fraud and abuse, to improving minimum wage and worker safety laws, to reforming the Public Employees Retirement System, to opening the doors to college for thousands of Oregonians through the Opportunity Grant Program. Kulongoski has also helped Oregon fight against global warming by enacting renewable energy and biofuel standards and setting greenhouse gas reduction targets that are among the most ambitious in the nation.
Kulongoski and his wife, Mary, have three grown children and two grandchildren.
Governor Theodore R. Kulongoski
254 State Capitol, Salem 97310; 503-378-3111
Governor Theodore R. Kulongoski, Salem; Democrat; elected 2002; inaugurated January 13, 2003; reelected 2006; term expires January 2011.
The governor is elected to a four-year term and is limited to two terms in office. 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.