{{Short description|American politician (1924–2026)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Gene Derfler.jpg | state_house = Oregon | district = 31st | term_start = 1988 | term_end = 1994 | state_senate2 = Oregon | district2 = 16th | term_start2 = 1994 | term_end2 = 2002 | party = Republican | birth_date = {{Birth date|1924|5|24}} | birth_place = Portland, Oregon, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2026|3|16|1924|5|24}} | death_place = Salem, Oregon, U.S. | profession = Broker | spouse = Thelma | children = 3 | battles = {{Tree list}} * World War II ** Battle of the Atlantic {{Tree list/end}} | battles_label = Conflict | branch = {{navy|United States}} | branch_label = Branch | alma_mater = Western Washington University{{br}}Pensacola Naval Aviator School }}
'''Eugene Leo Derfler''' (May 24, 1924 – March 16, 2026) was an American politician who was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives and Oregon State Senate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://library.state.or.us/repository/2011/201101131436324/index.pdf|title=Alphabetical List of Oregon's representatives|website=state.or.us|access-date=11 March 2024|archive-date=July 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724115642/https://library.state.or.us/repository/2011/201101131436324/index.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B3MkAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Cohen+Joyce%22+oregon|title=The Oregon Blue Book|year=1991|isbn=9780924540110}}</ref> He was the last Republican to serve as Senate President.
==Early life== Derfler was born on May 24, 1924, in Portland, Oregon.<ref name="o-obit">{{cite news |last1=Alexander |first1=Rachel |title=Former Oregon Senate President Gene Derfler dies at 101: He ‘left Oregon better than he found it’ |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2026/03/former-oregon-senate-president-gene-derfler-dies-at-101-he-left-oregon-better-than-he-found-it.html |access-date=17 March 2026 |agency=Salem Reporter |date=17 March 2026}}</ref><ref name=pvs/> He was a graduate from Western Washington College of Education (now Western Washington University) and the Pensacola Naval Aviator School. During World War II, Derfler flew PBY Catalina Bombers over the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to search for German Submarines in the Battle of the Atlantic, serving as a Lieutenant in the navy from 1943 to 1946.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lynn |first=Capi |title=Gene Derfler, WWII veteran and Oregon leader, dies at 101 |url=https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/politics/2026/03/16/gene-derfler-dies-wwii-veteran-oregon-legislator/89182602007/ |access-date=2026-03-17 |website=Statesman Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> After the war he moved to West Salem where he operated NICO Furniture, before getting into politics to reform the workers compensation system.<ref name="o-obit"/>
==Political career== In 1988, Derfler ran for the Oregon House of Representatives, winning the November election as a Republican for District 31 in Salem.<ref name="o-obit"/> After re-election to the seat in 1990 and 1992, he moved to the Oregon Senate after winning election in 1994, where he remained until 2001.<ref name="o-obit"/> Derfler represented District 16 in the Senate.<ref name=pvs/> He was a real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Mountain West Real Estate.<ref name=pvs>{{Cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/2960/gene-derfler#.VDrDFitdXZm|title = The Voter's Self Defense System}}</ref> While in the Senate he served two sessions as the majority leader for the Republican Party, and during his last session in the Senate in 2001 he was the Senate President, the last Republican to hold that position.<ref name="o-obit"/>
==Personal life and death== Derfler married Thelma Marie Derfler around 1945; they had three children together.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-05 |title=Thelma Marie Derfler Obituary - The Statesman Journal |url=https://statesmanjournal.com/obituaries/ssj062193 |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=statesmanjournal.com |language=en}}</ref> He was honored as a guest in the Oregon Senate in February 2024, at age 99.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oregon Legislature gets to work on homelessness, addiction and other issues |url=https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/02/05/oregon-legislature-gets-to-work-on-homelessness-addiction-and-other-issues/ |access-date=7 May 2024 |publisher=Oregon Capital Chronicle |date=5 February 2024}}</ref> He turned 100 on May 24, 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |last=McDonald |first=Abbey |date=2024-06-04 |title=At Salem’s first Elderfest, Gene Derfler shares life lessons after 100th birthday |url=https://www.salemreporter.com/2024/06/04/at-salems-first-elderfest-gene-derfler-shares-life-lessons-after-100th-birthday/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=Salem Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> and died on March 16, 2026, aged 101, at a retirement home in Salem.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-16 |title=Former Oregon Senate President Gene Derfler dies at 101 |url=https://www.kptv.com/2026/03/16/former-oregon-senate-president-gene-derfler-dies-101/ |access-date=2026-03-16 |website=KPTV |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/16/gene-derfler-generational-leader-in-oregon-legislature-dies-at-101/ |title=Gene Derfler, ‘generational leader’ in Oregon Legislature, dies at 101 |last=Alexander |first=Rachel |date=March 16, 2026 |accessdate=March 16, 2026 |work=Oregon Capital Chronicle}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *[https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/planoregon_interviews/7/ 2015 Interview]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Derfler, Gene}} Category:1924 births Category:2026 deaths Category:Politicians from Portland, Oregon Category:Politicians from Salem, Oregon Category:Western Washington University alumni Category:Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Category:20th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly Category:21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly Category:American men centenarians Category:United States Navy pilots of World War II Category:Republican Party Oregon state senators Category:Presidents of the Oregon State Senate