Betsy Johnson

Elizabeth Katharine Johnson (born January 12, 1951 ) is an American aviator, entrepreneur, and politician who served in the Oregon House of Representatives from the 1st and 31st House districts from 2001 to 2005, and in the Oregon Senate from the 16th district from 2005 to 2021, as a member of the Democratic Party.

Prior to her tenure in the state legislature she served on the Port of St. Helens board and worked in the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Johnson was born in Bend, Oregon, as the daughter of Sam Johnson, who served in the state house.

She was raised in Redmond, Oregon, and educated at Oregon Episcopal School, Carleton College, and Lewis and Clark College.

She operated a helicopter business and participated in international helicopter competitions.

Elizabeth Katharine Johnson was born on January 12, 1951, in Bend, Oregon, to Elizabeth Hill Johnson and Sam Johnson, who served in the Oregon House of Representatives for fourteen years.

She was raised in Redmond, Oregon, and graduated from Oregon Episcopal School in 1969.

She campaigned for her father during her youth.

She graduated from Carleton College with a bachelor's degree in history in 1974, and from Lewis and Clark College with a Juris Doctor in 1977.

Johnson married John Helm.

She represented the United States at a helicopter competition in Vitebsk, Soviet Union, in 1978.

Johnson created Trans-Western Helicopters in 1978, and it merged into Hillsboro Helicopters in 1993.

She served as president of the Columbia County Economic Development Council, and was on the boards of the Columbia County Health District, St. Helens Chamber of Commerce, and United Way of Columbia County.

She was appointed to the board of the Oregon Tourism Alliance in 1989.

She replaced Betty Roberts as the chair of the Tom McCall lectureship committee at Oregon State University in 1992.

She was the director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Portland Branch for six years.

She was active in local politics in Columbia County, Oregon, where she served on the boards of multiple groups and she was elected to the Port of St. Helens board in a 1993 special election.

She was the manager of aeronautics in the Oregon Department of Transportation from 1993 to 1998.

Tony Federici, a member of the Port of St. Helens board from the fourth position resigned in January 1993, in order to take office in the state house from the 1st district.

Johnson defeated four other candidates in the 1993 special election and won without opposition in the 1997 election.

She was appointed as the Manager of Aeronautics in the Oregon Department of Transportation in 1993, and served until her resignation on September 7, 1998.

She replaced Eric Dahlgren as chair of the board in 1999.

She was elected to the state house in the 2000 election and reelected in the 2002 and 2004 elections.

Jackie Taylor, a member of the state house from the 1st district, was term-limited during the 2000 election.

Johnson faced no opposition in the Democratic primary and won the Republican primary as a write-in candidate and defeated Constitution nominee Bob Ekstrom, the chair of the party, and Libertarian nominee Don McDaniel.

Johnson was appointed to a shared seat on the Oregon Emergency Board with Representative Dan Doyle in 2001.

Following the September 11 attacks the House Special Task Force on State Emergency Preparedness was formed with Johnson being one of its members.

She won the Democratic and Republican nominations and was elected from the 31st district in the 2002 election against Constitution nominee Ekstrom and independent candidate Mervin Arnold.

She won the Democratic and Republican nominations and defeated Constitution nominee Ron Ross in the 2004 election.

In the state house Johnson used the same desk that her father had used during his tenure.

During her tenure in the state house she served on the Ways and Means committee.

She worked as Ron Wyden's campaign chair during the 2004 United States Senate election.

Joan Dukes, a member of the Oregon Senate, was appointed to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council by Governor Ted Kulongoski in 2004.

Johnson announced on November 24, 2004, that she was interested in replacing Dukes in the state senate.

Johnson, Bill Blank, and Emil Nyberg were nominated by the Columbia County Democratic Committee as possible options to replace Dukes.

Johnson was appointed to replace Joan Dukes in the state senate in 2005, and was reelected in the 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 elections.

She was a moderate and conservative member of the Democratic caucus and held a controlling swing vote.

She resigned from the state senate in 2021, to run in the 2022 gubernatorial election as an independent candidate, losing to Tina Kotek.

County commissioners from Columbia, Clatsop, Multnomah, Tillamook, and Washington counties voted unanimously on January 19, 2005, to appoint Johnson and she was sworn in on January 20.

Brad Witt was selected to replace her in the state house.