Kurt Schrader
Encyclopedia
Kurt Schrader is the U.S. Representative
for . He is a member of the Democratic Party
. He previously served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly
.
in 1973. While at Cornell, Schrader met Martha Northam
, and the two were married in 1975. Schrader earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Illinois in 1977. A year later, the Schraders moved to Oregon, and Kurt opened the Clackamas County Veterinary Clinic in Oregon City to begin his veterinary practice.
Schrader served for 16 years on the Canby Planning Commission.
. Schrader ran for the Oregon House of Representatives
in 1994, where he lost to Republican Jerry Grisham in the general election by just 38 votes. In 1996, Schrader ran again, and this time, defeated Paul Kraxburger. He was subsequently reelected to the House in 1998 and 2000.
In 2002, Schrader ran for the Oregon State Senate
seat vacated by the retiring Verne Duncan
, representing the 20th district in southwestern Clackamas County
, including the cities of Barlow
, Canby
, Gladstone
, Johnson City
, Oregon City
, and portions of Milwaukie
. He defeated fellow Oregon House member Kathy Lowe in a contentious Democratic primary, and then faced no Republican opposition in the general election. Martha Schrader
was the Democratic nominee to succeed her husband, but lost in the general election to Wayne Scott
. She served as a Clackamas County commissioner until 2009, when she was appointed by the same commission (with Martha recusing herself from voting) to replace her husband in the State Senate.
In May 2008, Schrader won the Democratic nomination for for the seat being vacated by Darlene Hooley
. In the general election, Schrader defeated Republican Mike Erickson
to win election to the U.S. House. Schrader won the election with 54 percent of the vote to Erickson's 38 percent. Schrader won all seven of the counties in the 5th congressional district, though he posted a plurality win in Polk County.
2010
Schrader was challenged by Republican nominee Oregon State Representative
Scott Bruun
and Pacific Green nominee Chris Lugo. Despite several polls showing Bruun ahead and expert tracker Nate Silver
of FiveThirtyEight predicting Schrader would likely lose his bid for reelection, the final vote tally had Schrader winning by a fairly comfortable five-point margin, picking up 51% of the vote to Bruun's 46%. It was the closest House race in Oregon in 2010, a year in which Republicans picked up at least 63 House seats, but only one on the West Coast.
Schrader has voted with Democratic leadership 97.58% of the time during the 111th Congress, meaning he breaks with his party more frequently than 63% of the Democratic Caucus.
On December 17, 2009, Schrader announced that he would become a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
Martha Schrader
and the couple have five children. In May 2011, the Schraders announced that they are divorcing. Every one of Schrader's predecessors in the 5th District has also divorced while serving in that office: Denny Smith
, Mike Kopetski, Jim Bunn
, and Darlene Hooley
.
Schrader's district residence is the Kraft-Brandes-Culberston Farmstead in Canby, also known as Three Rivers Farm, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for . He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. He previously served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...
.
Early life, education, and early career
Schrader was born in Connecticut and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1973. While at Cornell, Schrader met Martha Northam
Martha Schrader
Martha Northam Schrader is a Democratic American politician who served in the Oregon State Senate, representing Oregon's 20th Senate district in southeastern Clackamas County, including the cities of Barlow, Canby, Gladstone, Johnson City, Oregon City, and portions of Milwaukie.-Early life:Born...
, and the two were married in 1975. Schrader earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Illinois in 1977. A year later, the Schraders moved to Oregon, and Kurt opened the Clackamas County Veterinary Clinic in Oregon City to begin his veterinary practice.
Schrader served for 16 years on the Canby Planning Commission.
Elections
Starting with his first winning election in 1996, Schrader served four terms in the Oregon House of RepresentativesOregon 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 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
. Schrader ran for the Oregon House of Representatives
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 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
in 1994, where he lost to Republican Jerry Grisham in the general election by just 38 votes. In 1996, Schrader ran again, and this time, defeated Paul Kraxburger. He was subsequently reelected to the House in 1998 and 2000.
In 2002, Schrader ran for the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. 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 Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
seat vacated by the retiring Verne Duncan
Verne Duncan
Verne A. Duncan is an American politician from the state of Oregon. As an educator and moderate Republican, he has become outspoken in protest of policies of his own party he views as extreme....
, representing the 20th district in southwestern Clackamas County
Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...
, including the cities of Barlow
Barlow, Oregon
Barlow is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 135 at the 2010 census.-History:Barlow is named for William Barlow, the son of Samuel K. Barlow . Samuel bought the donation land claim in which Barlow is located from Thomas McKay on September 17, 1850...
, Canby
Canby, Oregon
Canby is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 15,829 at the 2010 census. It is located on Oregon Route 99E, two miles northeast of Barlow.-History:...
, Gladstone
Gladstone, Oregon
Gladstone is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 11,438. The 2007 estimate is 12,200 residents. Gladstone is a four-square-mile suburban community twelve miles south of Portland at the confluence of the Clackamas and...
, Johnson City
Johnson City, Oregon
Johnson City is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It was a manufactured housing community owned entirely by one man, whose residents voted to incorporate by a 49 to 10 vote on June 16, 1970...
, Oregon City
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
, and portions of Milwaukie
Milwaukie, Oregon
Milwaukie is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1848 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city, known as the Dogwood City of the West, was incorporated in...
. He defeated fellow Oregon House member Kathy Lowe in a contentious Democratic primary, and then faced no Republican opposition in the general election. Martha Schrader
Martha Schrader
Martha Northam Schrader is a Democratic American politician who served in the Oregon State Senate, representing Oregon's 20th Senate district in southeastern Clackamas County, including the cities of Barlow, Canby, Gladstone, Johnson City, Oregon City, and portions of Milwaukie.-Early life:Born...
was the Democratic nominee to succeed her husband, but lost in the general election to Wayne Scott
Wayne Scott
Wayne Scott is a politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. He was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives for the Republican Party until 2009, representing House District 39, which includes the communities of Barlow, Beavercreek, Canby, Mulino and Oregon City. He was House Minority Leader...
. She served as a Clackamas County commissioner until 2009, when she was appointed by the same commission (with Martha recusing herself from voting) to replace her husband in the State Senate.
Committee assignments
In the Oregon Senate, Schrader served as co-chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee in the 2003 and 2005 sessions and chair of the Interim Joint Legislative Audit Committee in the 2005 session. To prepare for his House seat, Schrader resigned effective December 17.Election
2008In May 2008, Schrader won the Democratic nomination for for the seat being vacated by Darlene Hooley
Darlene Hooley
Darlene Kay Olson Hooley is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon who represented the state's . A native of North Dakota, she spent eight years teaching high school before entering politics when she was elected to the West Linn, Oregon city council in 1975...
. In the general election, Schrader defeated Republican Mike Erickson
Mike Erickson
Mike Erickson is a businessman and politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. He ran unsuccessfully for two different seats in the Oregon House of Representatives in 1988 and 1992, and was the Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives in Oregon's 5th congressional district in...
to win election to the U.S. House. Schrader won the election with 54 percent of the vote to Erickson's 38 percent. Schrader won all seven of the counties in the 5th congressional district, though he posted a plurality win in Polk County.
2010
Schrader was challenged by Republican nominee Oregon State Representative
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 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
Scott Bruun
Scott Bruun
Lorentz Scott Bruun is a Republican politician from the US state of Oregon. He served in the Oregon House of Representatives representing District 37, which encompasses some of the southern suburbs of Portland, Oregon, including part or all of the cities of Durham, Lake Oswego, Rivergrove,...
and Pacific Green nominee Chris Lugo. Despite several polls showing Bruun ahead and expert tracker Nate Silver
Nate Silver
Nathaniel Read "Nate" Silver is an American statistician, psephologist, and writer. Silver first gained public recognition for developing PECOTA, a system for forecasting the performance and career development of Major League Baseball players, which he sold to and then managed for Baseball...
of FiveThirtyEight predicting Schrader would likely lose his bid for reelection, the final vote tally had Schrader winning by a fairly comfortable five-point margin, picking up 51% of the vote to Bruun's 46%. It was the closest House race in Oregon in 2010, a year in which Republicans picked up at least 63 House seats, but only one on the West Coast.
Tenure
In one of Schrader's first votes in Congress, he supported the $819 billion economic stimulus package.Schrader has voted with Democratic leadership 97.58% of the time during the 111th Congress, meaning he breaks with his party more frequently than 63% of the Democratic Caucus.
On December 17, 2009, Schrader announced that he would become a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
Committee assignments
- Committee on AgricultureUnited States House Committee on AgricultureThe U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
- Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry
- Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and PoultryUnited States House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and PoultryThe House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry is a subcommittee within the House Agriculture Committee. It oversees all issues relating to livestock, dairy, poultry, meat, seafood and seafood products including federal inspection, marketing, and promotion of these commodities...
- Committee on Small BusinessUnited States House Committee on Small BusinessThe United States House Committee on Small Business is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.-History:On December 4, 1941, the U. S...
Personal life
Schrader is married to former Oregon state senatorOregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. 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 Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
Martha Schrader
Martha Schrader
Martha Northam Schrader is a Democratic American politician who served in the Oregon State Senate, representing Oregon's 20th Senate district in southeastern Clackamas County, including the cities of Barlow, Canby, Gladstone, Johnson City, Oregon City, and portions of Milwaukie.-Early life:Born...
and the couple have five children. In May 2011, the Schraders announced that they are divorcing. Every one of Schrader's predecessors in the 5th District has also divorced while serving in that office: Denny Smith
Denny Smith
Dennis Alan "Denny" Smith is a businessman and former United States congressman from the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he served in the Air Force before working in the airline industry and taking over the family's newspaper business. A Republican, he served ten years in Congress from...
, Mike Kopetski, Jim Bunn
Jim Bunn
James Lee Bunn is an American politician from Oregon. A native of Yamhill County, he served in the Oregon State Senate before election to the United States House of Representatives where he served one term...
, and Darlene Hooley
Darlene Hooley
Darlene Kay Olson Hooley is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon who represented the state's . A native of North Dakota, she spent eight years teaching high school before entering politics when she was elected to the West Linn, Oregon city council in 1975...
.
Schrader's district residence is the Kraft-Brandes-Culberston Farmstead in Canby, also known as Three Rivers Farm, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Kurt Schrader official U.S. House site
- Kurt Schrader for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Clackamas County Veterinary Clinic