Darlene Hooley

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Darlene Hooley
Darlene Hooley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oregon's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 3, 1997
Preceded by Jim Bunn
Born April 4, 1939 (1939-04-04) (age 69)
Williston, North Dakota
Political party Democratic
Spouse Divorced
Religion Lutheran

Darlene Kay Olson Hooley (born April 4, 1939) is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon who represents the state's 5th congressional district. 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. Later she was elected to the Oregon State Legislature, then joined the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners before being elected to the House in 1996. She resides in West Linn.

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[edit] Early life

Darlene Kay Olson was born in Williston, North Dakota to Clarence Alvin and Alyce Rogers Olson, who were wheat farmers.[1] She moved with her parents to Salem, Oregon at the age of 8. She attended Salem Academy, and then Pasadena Nazarene College (now Point Loma Nazarene University) in southern California, where also she worked as a lifeguard.[2] She returned to Oregon and earned her degree in education from Oregon State University in 1961, where she was on the basketball, field hockey, and rowing teams. Following her graduation, she taught reading, music, and high school physical education for eight years at schools in Woodburn, Gervais, and Portland.[1][2] She married fellow teacher John Hooley in 1965, and after her children were born, became a full-time mother to her two children.

[edit] Political career

Hooley became interested in politics after her son was injured on a playground in West Linn.[2] She was appointed to a parks advisory committee, and in 1976, became the first woman to serve on the West Linn City Council.[1] In 1980, Hooley was elected to the Oregon State Legislature and served as a State Representative until 1987. In the legislature she served in the lower chamber (Oregon House of Representatives) as a Democrat representing Clackamas County (District 27), succeeding Republican Ted Achilles.[3][4] She chaired the environmental and energy committees, helping to pass energy conservation and recycling legislation and worked on rewriting land use planning laws, and in her third term, chaired the education subcommittee of the ways and means committee.[1] Hooley left in 1987 to accept a position on the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners.[2]

In 1996, Hooley ran for the U.S. House of Representatives against one-term incumbent Republican Jim Bunn, who had been voted in as part of the Republican Revolution of 1994. Hooley won 51% of the vote, eking out a narrow victory over Bunn and two minor party candidates. Ironically, while Bunn's loss was attributed in part to his divorce and remarriage during his only term, Hooley also divorced during her first term in 1997.[5] (The other two Representatives from Oregon's 5th district—Denny Smith and Mike Kopetski—also divorced while in office.)

[edit] House of Representatives

In her first term in the U.S. House, Hooley was elected House Democratic freshman class president.[1] Local political observers reported that she solidified support in her closely-divided district, by staking out moderate positions, avoiding controversy and scandal.[6]

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks Hooley, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, advocated adapting banking laws and acting to disrupt the financial foundations of terrorist networks.[7] She has also focused on issues surrounding identity theft prevention[8] and increasing medical and financial privacy.[1] In 2003, she was a key sponsor of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (HR 2622), which gave Americans the ability to receive free annual credit reports.[9]

She has also focused on methamphetamines[10] and ecoterrorism[11] legislation, and supported the Oregon Death with Dignity Act.[12]

In 2002, Hooley voted against the authorization of the use of military force in Iraq.[13] As a member of the Veterans' Affairs committee, she has focused on issues of veterans' health care and deployment of National Guard troops to the Iraq War.

She currently serves on the Science and Technology, Energy and Commerce, and Budget committees. She is a House Senior Whip for the Democratic Party and a member of the New Democrat Coalition.

In the 2006 election, Hooley won a sixth term, defeating Republican Mike Erickson (who spent over $1 million of his own money), Green Paul Aranas, and Constitution candidate Douglas Patterson. She has filed to run for a seventh term in 2008,[14] but in February 2008 announced she will not seek an additional term, creating an unexpected open seat in the 2008 election. Erickson announced plans to run for the seat again.[15]

[edit] Personal

Hooley has two adult children, Chad and Erin, and is a member of the Lutheran church.

[edit] Electoral history

Oregon's 5th congressional district: Results 1996–2006[16]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
1996 Darlene Hooley 139,521 51% Jim Bunn 125,409 46% Lawrence Knight Duquesne Libertarian 5,191 2% Trey Smith Socialist 2,124 1% *
1998 Darlene Hooley 124,916 55% Marylin Shannon 92,215 41% Michael Donnelly Pacific 3,637 2% Blaine Thallheimer Libertarian 2,979 1% *
2000 Darlene Hooley 156,315 57% Brian J. Boquist 118,631 43% *
2002 Darlene Hooley 137,713 55% Brian J. Boquist 113,441 45% *
2004 Darlene Hooley 184,833 53% Jim Zupancic 154,993 44% Jerry Defoe Libertarian 6,463 2% Joseph H. Bitz Constitution 2,971 1% *
2006 Darlene Hooley 146,973 54% Mike Erickson 116,424 43% Paul Aranas Pacific Green 4,194 2% Douglas Patterson Constitution 4,160 2% *
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1996, minor candidates received 391 votes. In 1998, Natural Law candidate Jim Burns received 2,284 votes (1%); Socialist candidate Ed Dover received 1,378 votes; and minor candidates received 248 votes. In 2000, write-ins received 402 votes. In 2002, minor candidates received 383 votes. In 2004, minor candidates received 374 votes. In 2006, write-ins received 483 votes.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Women in Congress 1917–2006 840-841. U.S. House of Representatives (2006). Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
  2. ^ a b c d Mayer, James. "5th Congressional District Primary: A Pro Aiming for the Big Time", The Oregonian, April 16, 1996. 
  3. ^ Oregon Legislative Assembly (60th) 1979 Regular Session. Oregon State Archives. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
  4. ^ Oregon Legislative Assembly (61st) 1981 Regular Session. Oregon State Archives. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
  5. ^ "Rep. Hooley's husband files for divorce", The Associated Press, The Columbian, July 16, 1997. 
  6. ^ Hogan, Dave. "Rep. Hooley solidifies base by staking out center on some tough issues", The Oregonian, September 24, 1998. 
  7. ^ Hooley, Darlene. "In my opinion: What it will mean to cut off terrorists' money", The Oregonian, October 5, 2001. 
  8. ^ Larabee, Mark. "Bill offers protection from problem of identity theft", The Oregonian, April 20, 2000. 
  9. ^ FCRA- Landmark Consumer Protection Law. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
  10. ^ Durbin, Kathie. "Baird meth bill passes U.S. House", The Columbian, July 20, 2005. 
  11. ^ "Ore. lawmaker wants to fight ecoterrorism", The Associated Press, The Seattle Times, July 9, 2001. 
  12. ^ Daly, Matthew. "Assisted suicide defended", Associated Press, The Columbian. 
  13. ^ Final Vote Results for Roll Call 455. United States Congress (October 10, 2002). Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
  14. ^ Law, Steve. "Oregon's Fifth District congressional race shapes up as a rematch", Statesman-Journal, September 17, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-19. 
  15. ^ Kosseff, Jeff; Charles Pope. "Rep. Hooley will not run for re-election", The Oregonian, February 07, 2008. 
  16. ^ Election Statistics. Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Jim Bunn		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oregon's 5th congressional district
1997-01-03 – present		 Incumbent
v • d • e
Oregon's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Representative(s)
David Wu (D), Greg Walden (R), Earl Blumenauer (D), Peter DeFazio (D), Darlene Hooley (D)
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