For over 50 years, Earl Blumenauer has dedicated his career to building livable communities —places where people are safe, healthy, and economically secure.
In 1996, Earl was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. During his 28 years in Congress, he developed a reputation for approaching controversial issues in a way that breaks through gridlock and brings people together around common-sense solutions.
Earl chose not to run for reelection in 2024, instead concentrating his efforts directly at home in Portland on many of the issues he cares passionately about.
A lifelong Oregonian, Earl was raised in SE Portland and attended Centennial High School. While a student at Lewis & Clark College, he led the fight to lower the voting age in Oregon. His advocacy helped fuel the passage of the 26th Amendment to the Constitution. In 1972, Earl was elected to the Oregon House as one of the youngest legislators in the state’s history during a groundbreaking legislative session for school funding, ethics reform, and Oregon’s land use laws. In 1978, he left the legislature to serve his hometown more directly, first as a County Commissioner, then on the Portland City Council as Commissioner of Public Works. There, his advocacy for public transportation, land use planning and environmental protection earned him an international reputation as a leader for livability.