Former Oregon governor who sexually abused teenagers has died

Ariel Iacobazzi and Kaitlin Flanigan

7 mins ago

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Neil Goldschmidt, the former Oregon governor whose record in federal, state and local offices later fell from grace when it was revealed that he had repeatedly sexually abused a young girl beginning in the 1970s, has died. He was 83.

The Oregonian/OregonLive was the first newspaper to report Goldschmidt’s death from heart failure on Wednesday. His family confirmed his death in a statement to Nexstar’s KOIN.

Goldschmidt served as mayor of Portland from 1973 to 1979, after serving as a city councilman since 1970. During that time, the city was changing. During his time as mayor, he also began raping a 14-year-old girl, which he publicly confessed to in a letter in the Oregonian in 2004 as Willamette Week was preparing to publish his revelations.

Goldschmidt was appointed U.S. Secretary of Transportation in 1979 under the administration of President Jimmy Carter. He served until the end of Carter’s presidency. He returned to the political scene in 1985 to launch his candidacy for governor. He succeeded Republican Governor Vic Atiyeh after winning the 1986 gubernatorial election before leaving office in 1991.

In a statement to KOIN, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said, “Neil Goldschmidt’s abuse of a young girl destroyed her life, a horrific act that should render any other discussion of his political career moot. The best response to this news would be to donate to organizations dedicated to preventing sexual abuse, such as the Oregon Association for the Treatment and Prevention for Sexual Abuse.”

Goldschmidt’s portrait hung in Portland City Hall until 2019, when it was stolen from the walls and burned by an activist.

Barbara Roberts, who served as governor of Oregon from 1991 to 1995, spoke to KOIN about Goldschmidt’s influence on local politics.

“He was a very memorable person. He was one of a kind. Very, very smart,” she said. “I was on the school board there and we had issues that we overlapped on and could talk about. Kids and how we could make high schools healthier, safer and better for the kids. And so we always had something to talk about because we were both very political.”

However, Roberts also said that Goldschmidt’s decision to repeatedly sexually abuse a young girl could not be ignored.

“It was shocking. It was distressing. It was disillusioning. It changed the perception of him by thousands and thousands of people in Oregon who viewed him as an incredible leader,” she said.

In a statement to KOIN, Goldschmidt’s family described him as “a strong personality and the patriarch of our large patchwork family.”

“Although he struggled with many health issues for years, he actively engaged in discussions with family and friends about school, business, politics and wine until his death,” the statement continued. “We will greatly miss his presence in our lives and hope that those who mourn his loss can remember the significant positive contributions he made to our community.”