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Senator
David Nelson Biography Senator David Nelson, a Farmer from Northeastern Oregon, was first elected from District 29 to the Oregon Senate in 1996. In the 2001 Session he served as Senate Majority Leader for the Seventy-First Legislative Assembly. David was born in 1941, and raised on a century-old family farm in Pendleton, Oregon. He left home when he turned 18, to attend school at the University of California at Berkley, but soon wanted to return to his home state and transferred to the University of Oregon, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. After graduation in 1964, David moved to Brady, Montana to manage a wheat farm, which, through hard work and savings, he later purchased. However, in spite of David's early success in business, his hunger for knowledge drove him to continue his education and he enrolled in the University of Montana Law School. When David earned his law degree in 1967, he joined a law practice in Conrad, Montana, where he worked for several years. While in Conrad, David met and fell in love with his future wife, Alice, and they were soon married. After David's father fell ill in 1981, he and Alice were able to move home to Pendleton to take over the family farm. Serving in the Oregon Senate is not David's first job in public service. Ever since he was elected Student Body President of Pendleton High School, he has been deeply involved in the community. For years, David acted as County Attorney in Pondera County, Montana. He displayed his love of education by serving on the Education Foundation of Pendleton, and supporting the Blue Mountain Community College Theater. Although David has many responsibilities, he has not forgotten about his other commitments: he is a member of the American Bar Association and the Oregon Wheat League, and also has been involved in the Eastern Oregon Symphony, Pendleton Swim Association, the Babe Ruth Association and the Rotary Club. As a legislator, David has many responsibilities. He has both chaired and served as a member of several committees, addressing issues critical to our state such as education, technology and the budget. His key priority in the 2001 Session was passing a package of legislation known as the Nelson Technology and Opportunity Partnership (NTOP). The goal of NTOP is to form public-private partnerships to bring opportunities to rural Oregon, strengthen the economy and build a stronger system of public education. He has, and will continue to work to ensure that all Oregonians get a quality education regardless of where they happen to live. With four children and four grandchildren, David and Alice have always put family first. David has been a caring father and grandfather, and has gone out of his way to provide all he could for his children and grandchildren. Even while serving in Salem, David frequently returns to his home in Pendleton, where he continues to farm wheat and canola. Like the two generations that preceded him, he and his son work together on the family farm, but still manage to find the time to golf once in a while. David continues to work hard for his constituents. He has represented the people of Northeastern Oregon and the state as a whole with honor and distinction. Throughout his public service career he has taken pride in promoting education, technology and economic development in Oregon. His door is always open to his constituents, and he has resolved to lead with the guiding principles of accountability, opportunity and compassion in all that he does. |
