Elizabeth Furse

Infobox_Congressman
name = Elizabeth Furse


date of birth = Birth date and age|1936|10|13|mf=y
place of birth = Nairobi, Kenya
state = Oregon
district = 1st
term = 1993–1999
preceded = Les AuCoin
succeeded = David Wu
party = Democrat
spouse = John C. Platt

Elizabeth Furse (born October 13, 1936) is a small business owner and faculty member of Portland State University. She was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 1999, representing Oregon's 1st congressional district. She is a Democrat, and was the first person born in Africa to win election to the U.S. Congress. [ [http://www.tribalgov.pdx.edu/bio_furse.php Institute for Tribal Government Biography] from the Portland State University website]

Early years

Furse was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to British parents, and grew up in South Africa. Inspired by her mother, she became an anti-apartheid activist in 1951, joining the first Black Sash demonstration in Cape Town, South Africa.

She moved to England in 1956, before eventually moving to the United States, settling in Los Angeles, California. While in Los Angeles, she became involved in a women's self-help project in Watts, and with Cesar Chavez's United Farm Workers movement, working to unionize grape farm workers. Moving to Seattle, Washington, in 1968, she became involved in American Indian/Native American rights causes including fishing and treaty rights. She became a United States citizen in 1972. Two years later, she graduated from The Evergreen State College.

In 1978, she finally settled in the Portland, Oregon, area, where she attended Northwestern School of Law. After dropping out of law school, she led the efforts of several Oregon-based American Indian/Native American tribes to win federal recognition, successfully lobbying the U.S. Congress to grant federal recognition to the Coquille, Klamath and Grand Ronde tribes. In 1986, she co-founded the Portland-based Oregon Peace Institute, establishing a mission to develop and disseminate conflict resolution curriculum in Oregon schools.

U.S. House of Representatives

She was elected to Congress in 1992, defeating State Treasurer Tony Meeker, in a year where the number of women in the House grew from 29 to 48. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/archives/1994/9406090064.asp Battles for Women in the House] , a June 1994 "Seattle Post-Intelligencer" article]

In 1994, Furse, called by one Northwest newspaper the "antithesis of Congress' traditional play-it-safe politicians", won reelection by 301 votes [http://www.nwlaborpress.org/1997/furse.html "Rep. Furse won't seek reelection"] from "Northwest Labor Press"] , defeating businessman Bill Witt during a year when the Republican Revolution produced a 54-seat gain for her opponent's party. In Spring 1996, Furse and Congressman George Nethercutt (R-WA) co-founded the Congressional Diabetes Caucus [cite web| url=http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/1997/10/01/969.html|date=1997-10-01| title= Kudos to the Congressional Caucus| publisher=Diabetes Health magazine| author=S. Robert Levine, MD, Chairman, JDFI Government Relations Committee |quote=The Congressional Diabetes Caucus, which includes 94 members of the House, including outspoken diabetes advocate Speaker Newt Gingrich, was created by Congressman George Nethercutt (R-WA) and Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse (D-OR) in the spring of 1996.] and authored legislation which passed in 1997 to improve coverage of diabetes education and supplies in the Medicare program. The Congressional Diabetes Caucus has since grown to be the largest health-related Caucus in Congress.

Later in 1996 Furse won 52% of the vote in a rematch with Witt. She declined to seek reelection in 1998, explaining that the job is "public service and not a career."

Other activities

Furse and husband John C. Platt own Helvetia Vineyards in Helvetia, Oregon (near Portland); the couple planted grapes in 1982, and started their winery in 1992. [ [http://www.helvetiawinery.com/about.php About the Owners] from the Helvetia Vineyards website] As of 2007 the vineyard is home to both pinot noir and chardonnay grapes, growing in soil made distinctive by "pisolitic structures that develop from weathering of the loess". [ [http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2007CD/finalprogram/abstract_121228.htm Characterization of Fragipan Soils at Helvetia Vineyards] from the Geological Society of America website]

Since retiring from Congress in 1999, she has served as Director of the Institute for Tribal Government at Portland State University. Her continued involvement in Native American affairs has also brought her some attention during recent U.S. Senate campaigns for her high-profile endorsements of Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR). In a 2006 interview, Furse said her support in 2002 was because they "had a lot in common on tribal issues" and cited Smith's repeated votes against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, votes that defied pressure from Smith's fellow Republicans including Senator Stephens ["sic"] ; she believes "you support those people who have stood up for issues that you care about" and that Smith is a "very moral person [who] if he doesn’t agree with you, he’ll tell you", something that Furse admires. [cite web| url=http://www.willamette.edu/centers/publicpolicy/projects/oregonsfuture/PDFvol11no1/OF1introLR.pdf| format=PDF| title=Introduction: The Honorble Elizabeth Furse| work=Oregon's Future (Winter 2006), a "nonpartisan public affairs quarterly"| publisher=Willamette University] Her continued support during the 2008 campaign included praise for Smith as "one of the first to stand up to George Bush and other Republicans to end this war", a characterization challenged by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) among others. [ [http://wweek.com/editorial/3433/11154/ When A Dove Lies] , a June 2008 editorial from "Willamette Week"]

References

External links

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