Barbara Kay Roberts is an American Democratic politician who served as Oregon's secretary of state from 1985 to 1991 and as the state's first woman governor from 1991 to 1995. She later directed state and local government programs at Harvard's Kennedy School and worked in leadership development at Portland State University.
Background
Barbara Kay Hughey was born on December 21, 1936, in Corvallis, Oregon. She was a fourth-generation Oregonian and a descendant of Oregon Trail pioneers. Her family later lived in California and Yamhill County before settling in Sheridan, Oregon.
Roberts graduated from Sheridan High School in 1955. She married Neal Sanders in 1954, while she was still in high school, and the couple had two sons. After the marriage ended, she became an advocate for her autistic son and other children with disabilities. Her lobbying helped secure passage of Oregon legislation requiring public education for children with emotional handicaps, an experience that began her public career.
Education
Roberts graduated from Sheridan High School in 1955. Sheridan High School served the rural and small-town community of Sheridan in Oregon's Yamhill County, where Roberts spent part of her youth.
She attended Portland State University from 1961 to 1964 and completed undergraduate study there. Portland State originated as a postwar urban college and developed into Oregon's major public university in Portland, with a mission closely connected to adult, metropolitan, and public-service education. Roberts also attended Marylhurst College in 1989 and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1989 through the Women Executives in State Government program. Harvard's Kennedy School was established to prepare leaders in public policy and administration, while the Women Executives program supported the development of women already serving in government.
Willamette University awarded Roberts an honorary Doctor of Law degree in 1992. Founded in Salem in 1842, Willamette is the oldest university in the western United States and has long maintained a close relationship with Oregon's legal and governmental institutions.
Roberts began public service as an unpaid advocate for children with disabilities. In 1971 she lobbied the Oregon legislature on behalf of the Portland chapter of the National Society for Autistic Children, helping obtain passage of legislation that required public education for children with emotional handicaps. She was elected to the Parkrose School Board in 1973 and served for a decade, and she also served on the Mount Hood Community College Board.
In 1978 Roberts became a Multnomah County commissioner. She was elected as a Democrat to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1980 and served from 1981 to 1985. Her legislative colleagues elected her House majority leader in 1983 and 1984, making her the first woman to hold that leadership position in Oregon.
Roberts was elected Oregon secretary of state in 1984 and served from 1985 to 1991, winning reelection in 1988. The office was one of Oregon's statewide constitutional offices and included responsibility for elections, public records, and state administration. During her tenure she supported election reforms, improved ballot accessibility for voters with disabilities, public auditing, and planning for a new state archives building.
Elected governor in November 1990, Roberts became Oregon's first woman governor and served from January 14, 1991, to January 9, 1995. Her administration addressed the fiscal consequences of Ballot Measure 5, promoted public education and disability rights, pursued environmental management, and worked to streamline state government. She used town meetings and broadcasts known as Conversation with Oregon to explain budget and tax proposals. Her administration also secured federal waivers needed to implement the Oregon Health Plan.
After leaving office, Roberts directed the State and Local Government Executive Programs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and served as a senior fellow in Harvard's Women and Public Policy Program. In 1998 she became associate director of leadership development at Portland State University's Hatfield School of Government, where she worked in executive leadership programs before retiring from the position in 2005. She later served on the Metro Council representing District 6 from 2011 to 2012 and continued civic work involving education, housing, health care, civil rights, environmental issues, and women's political leadership.
Roberts helped secure passage of Oregon legislation requiring public education for children with emotional handicaps, an early milestone in the state's disability-rights and special-education policy.
She became Oregon's first woman governor after winning the 1990 election and served from 1991 to 1995.
As governor, Roberts helped secure federal waivers that enabled implementation of the Oregon Health Plan.
She developed Conversation with Oregon, a public town-hall and broadcast program explaining the state's budget and tax problems to citizens.
Roberts contributed to public-sector leadership education through executive programs at Harvard University's Kennedy School and Portland State University's Hatfield School of Government.
(A personal and political memoir describing Roberts's path...)
2011
Politics
Roberts was a Democrat whose political career developed around civil rights, public education, disability rights, environmental management, accessible elections, health care, and government reform. She began public service as an advocate for children with disabilities and later held positions on a school board, community college board, county commission, the Oregon House of Representatives, and the office of secretary of state.
As a Democratic legislator, secretary of state, and governor, Roberts supported an active role for state government in expanding educational access, protecting civil liberties, and providing public services. Her governorship from January 14, 1991, to January 9, 1995, coincided with the fiscal pressures created by Oregon's 1990 property-tax limitation measure and with debates over tax reform, public education, timber policy, health care, and the size of government. Her administration promoted public discussion through the Conversation with Oregon program, pursued government streamlining, and helped secure federal waivers that enabled implementation of the Oregon Health Plan.
Views
Roberts's public philosophy emphasizes practical civic participation, equal access to government, and the responsibility of public institutions to serve people who have historically faced barriers. Her advocacy for children with disabilities developed into broader commitments to civil rights, accessible elections, public education, health care, and women's participation in political leadership.
Her memoir and public discussions of grief present death and bereavement as subjects that should be addressed openly rather than hidden. In her political work, she favored explaining difficult policy choices directly to the public, as illustrated by the Conversation with Oregon program during the fiscal crisis of her governorship.
Membership
Roberts participated in organizations concerned with disability rights, women's political participation, public administration, civic history, health policy, and humanitarian service. Her documented affiliations included the National Society of Autistic Children, the Oregon Women's Political Caucus, Women Executives in State Government, the National Academy of Public Administration, Population Action International, the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission, the Oregon Health Advisory Commission, and Special Olympics Oregon.
These organizations connected her public career with broader professional and civic networks. The National Academy of Public Administration is an independent organization devoted to improving public administration, while Population Action International and Special Olympics Oregon address international population policy and athletic opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, respectively.
Served as an unpaid legislative advocate for the Portland chapter.
National Society of Autistic Children
,
United States of America
1971
Oregon Women's Political Caucus
,
United States of America
Participated in the organization's fellowship program at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Women Executives in State Government
,
United States of America
1989
Fellow.
National Academy of Public Administration
,
United States of America
Served on the board of trustees.
Population Action International
,
United States of America
Served on the advisory council.
Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission
,
United States of America
Member.
Oregon Health Advisory Commission
,
United States of America
2004
Served on the board.
Special Olympics Oregon
,
United States of America
Personality
Roberts has been described in biographical and interview accounts as hardworking, outspoken, and persistent in public advocacy. Her career demonstrates sustained engagement with disability rights, civil liberties, education, and public administration.
Interests
Roberts has been involved with women's political leadership, disability rights, Special Olympics, housing, education, environmental protection, and civic participation.
Connections
Roberts was first married to Neal Sanders, with whom she had two sons, Mark Sanders Roberts and Michael Sanders Roberts. In 1974 she married Frank Roberts, an Oregon legislator and later state senator. Frank Roberts died in 1993 while Barbara Roberts was governor.
Her experiences caring for Frank during his terminal illness informed her book Death Without Denial, Grief Without Apology: A Guide for Facing Death and Loss. Roberts later partnered with Don Nelson and has been described as a mother, grandmother, and step-grandmother.
Son:
Mark Sanders Roberts
Son:
Michael Sanders Roberts
husband:
Frank Roberts
Oregon legislator and state senator who died in 1993.
Barbara Kay Roberts (1936–), Oregon Encyclopedia
Provides a detailed account of Roberts's family background, disability-rights advocacy, political career, governorship, later civic work, publications, and awards.
