Jennifer Williamson
OfficeMajority Leader of the Oregon House of Representatives
Term startJuly 10, 2015
Term endJuly 19, 2019
PredecessorVal Hoyle
SuccessorBarbara Smith Warner
State house 1Oregon
District 136th
Term start 1January 12, 2013
Term end 1January 16, 2020
Predecessor 1Mary Nolan
Successor 1Akasha Lawrence-Spence
Birth dateNovember 16, 1973 (age 52)
Birth placeWashington County, Oregon, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Oregon (BA)
Willamette University (JD)

Jennifer Williamson (born 1973)[1] is an American attorney, Democratic politician, and political strategist who represented Oregon's 36th District in the Oregon House of Representatives. She served as Majority Leader from 2015 to 2019.

Early life and education

Born in Washington County, Oregon, Williamson graduated from the University of Oregon,[2] and received a J.D. degree from Willamette University College of Law.[3]

Political career

In 2012, she defeated Sharon Meieran in the Democratic primary to replace state representative Mary Nolan.[4]

Williamson was named a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow.[5]

On February 10, 2020, Williamson abruptly dropped out of the race for Oregon Secretary of State in response to allegations of unusual campaign spending while an Oregon House member. Williamson has defended her campaign expenditures as legal under Oregon campaign finance laws and ethics regulations.[6]

Williamson currently works for political consulting and government affairs firm Swift Public Affairs.[7] She previously served as the interim executive director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon.[8]

References

  1. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (June 28, 2017). "The Good, the Bad and the Awful: Our 2017 Ranking of Portland-Area Lawmakers". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers. Archived June 30, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  2. ^ "State Representative Jennifer Williamson". Democratic Party of Oregon. Archived November 16, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  3. ^ "Representative Jennifer Williamson". VoteSmart. Retrieved January 15, 2013.[dead link]
  4. ^ Kozinskiy, Olga (November 13, 2012). "Emerging Women". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers. Archived January 6, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  5. ^ "About the Rodel Fellowship Program". Archived 2016-05-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
  6. ^ Monahan, Rachel (February 10, 2020). "Worldwide Travel Highlights Unusual Campaign Spending by Former Oregon House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers. Archived February 11, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  7. ^ "Jennifer Williamson". Swift Public Affairs. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  8. ^ "With Abortion Protection Bill Pending in Salem, Planned Parenthood Advocates Names Interim Leader". Willamette Week. 2023-03-24. Archived 2023-08-31 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-08-31.