Harl Haas Remembered

HAAS for AG 1980 Pin

The Oregonian reported recently that retired Multnomah Co. Judge Harl Haas passed away at the age of 80. Earlier in his career he had been elected to the Oregon House and was later appointed to the Oregon Senate. For at time Haas served as District Attorney. He sought nominations for Congress, and Governor in 1974. Later, in 1980, he won the Democratic nomination for Attorney General. While he would end up losing that race, he eventually found a a seat as a Multnomah Co. Judge in 1985 where he served until his retirement in 2001.

A Look at Bob Straub (1954-1962)

At the recent meeting of the Oregon Political Item Conservators in Salem, Oregon author Charles Johnson shared with us some highlights of his recently completed book, Standing at the Water's Edge: Bob Straub's Battle for the Soul of Oregon  

 Members were captivated by the contrasts between Governor Tom McCall and Governor Bob Straub, who both vied for the Governor's Mansion at the same time during the 60s and early 70s. Many of the McCall environmental initiatives are owed to the work Straub did to bring those issues to the front of McCall's attention. In their attempts to one up each other, they made each other better candidates and public servants.