Peter Courtney

Peter Michael Coleman Courtney (June 18, 1943 – July 16, 2024) was an American politician, lawyer, and professor who was a Democratic member of the Oregon State Senate, representing the 11th District (in Marion County and including parts of Salem, Woodburn, and Gervais) from 1999 until 2023. He served as President of the Senate from 2003 to 2023, the longest tenure in state history.

Courtney was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1981 to 1985 and from 1989 through 1998. Courtney previously taught at Western Oregon University.

Courtney was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 18, 1943. He grew up in Moorestown, New Jersey, West Virginia, Rhode Island, and Virginia, the son of a life insurance agent. Both his parents earned college degrees, with his mother's degree in Latin.

In high school, Courtney played on the school's football team. He attended college at the University of Rhode Island where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1965 and a master's in public administration the following year. He graduated from Boston University's law school, and then moved to Oregon in 1969 to become the law clerk of William S. Fort of the Oregon Court of Appeals.

Courtney arrived in Salem and stayed at the YMCA for two years.

Courtney's first political office was as a member of the Salem City Council where he served from 1974 until 1980. He was first elected to the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1980 as a Democrat representing Marion and Polk counties in the Oregon House of Representatives.

Courtney gave up his House seat to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, 5th district, in the 1984 primary. Courtney narrowly lost to state senator Ruth McFarland, who had been the 1982 nominee. In the House he served as Democratic leader for eight years, longer than anyone else had before him. After repairs to the Oregon State Capitol were finished in 1995 after damage from the 1993 Scotts Mills earthquake, he gave a small piece of marble with an engraved image of the building to each Democrat in the House. He served as minority leader during the 1997 session.

He avoided term limits by moving from the House to the Senate in 1999, representing only Marion County. In 2002, he had surgery to remove a burst appendix and even received last rites prior to the surgery when survival was unknown. After 13 days at the hospital he recovered and returned to the legislature.