Courtney died July 16 after a long battle with cancer. He retired last year after a nearly 50-year career in public service, mostly in the state legislature.
MT ANGEL, Ore. — Family, friends and former colleagues gathered at the St. Mary Catholic Church in Mt. Angel on Tuesday morning for a memorial service for Peter Courtney, Oregon’s longest-serving state lawmaker.
“He was a larger-than-life personality. He always had a quick wit and something to say,” said Phil Bentley, Courtney’s former chief of staff. “When you think about Peter, you think about some of his different accomplishments legislatively, but I think what a lot of people think about his love for the institution of the legislature.”
Courtney’s political career spanned nearly 50 years. He got his start on the Salem City Council in 1974, before diving into state politics in 1980. He left the Oregon House of Representatives in 1984 to run for a U.S. House seat, but returned a …
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