- Oregon State Representative, 1961-1979.
- Oregon Speaker of the House, 1975-1978.
About Speaker Lang
Speaker Lang was born in Portland in 1929. He served in the United States Air Force, stationed in Japan. After leaving the service, he attended Lewis and Clark College and studied sociology. Upon graduation, he worked as a trooper with the Oregon State Police. Following his time on the state police force, he returned to Portland and entered law school and worked in the insurance industry.
Throughout Lang’s childhood, political discussions were commonplace at home. His interest in political service began when Terry Schrunk, mayor of Portland, asked him to be his executive assistant. A few years later, two Multnomah County subdistrict members approached Lang about running for the legislature. He ran and was elected in 1960.
In his interview, Lang describes his time as an Oregon State Representative from 1961-1979. He served under Governors Hatfield, McCall and Straub, and discusses the similarities and differences between their leadership.
Lang served as Speaker of the House from 1975 to 1978. During this time, the Capitol built an addition of wings for legislative offices. Through Lang’s leadership as Speaker, he led the wings to be built, working alongside the president of the Senate and the Legislative Administration Committee. Consequently, the House wing is named after him.
After Lang’s retirement from the insurance industry, he served as chairman of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. He currently serves on the Oregon State Capitol Foundation Board.
– Interview recorded August 10, 2002