- Oregon State Representative, 1985-1991.
- Oregon State Senator, 1991-1997.
About Sen. Cease
Even in Ron Cease’s early life, he had an interest in politics. He remembers staying up all night from excitement during the Truman Dewey Election of 1948, when he was 17 years old. He attended Portland State and Reed College and received his degree in political science. Cease first worked to develop the form of government for the newly admitted State of Alaska.
He then began a long career as a professor of political science at Portland State University. During his first years of teaching Ron was asked to be a part of Gov. Tom McCall’s Project 70 Task Force to modernize Oregon state government. He always enjoyed the interactions between students and legislative members or lobbyists who came to talk to his students.
In 1985, he ran for the seat his wife Jane Cease was vacating in the House of Representatives. The move sparked some criticism but Ron deflected voter’s concerns with humor and won the election. After serving in the House for four terms in the House, Ron won election to the Oregon Senate in 1991, and remained there until 1997.
Ron cites several bills that he is particularly proud of sponsoring. These include the Environmental Crimes Law, the Tsunami Warning System, and the Bicycle Helmet Law. He and his legislative aide, Claudia Black, worked on the Bicycle Helmet Law together. “I’m not only proud of that piece of legislation, but you better believe that Claudia Black is also very proud of it because she played a real role in seeing us get it done.”
– Interview recorded May 30, 2017