Margaret Carter: Oregon State Capitol Foundation Oral History Project

Senator Margaret Carter b. 1935 • Oregon State Representative, 1985–1999 • Oregon State Senator, 2001–2009 • Oregon Senate President Pro Tempore, 2005–2009 About Senator Carter Margaret Carter was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. She was active in church, where she showcased her talent for singing and playing the piano. She graduated as salutatorian of her high school class in 1954 and received a scholarship to attend college. She dropped out of school to marry Charles Williams. They eventually had five children. In 1967, Carter left her abusive marriage and moved to Portland, Oregon with her children. She obtained a divorce and began taking classes at Portland State University, graduating with a degree in education in 1972. She later earned a master’s degree in educational psychology from Oregon State University. Carter joined the faculty of Portland Community College, where she worked as a counselor for twenty-seven years. During this time, she married Elvis Carter and became mother to four stepchildren. In 1983 she was recruited by business and community leaders to run for a seat in the Oregon House. She was elected in 1984, becoming the first Black woman to serve in the Oregon legislature. In 2000, she was elected to the Oregon Senate. During her tenure in the Senate, Carter served as co-chair of the Ways and Means Committee and as Senate President Pro Temp. She left the legislature in 2009 to serve as assistant administrator of the Department of Human Services, a position she held for five years. In the interview, Carter discusses her work in both the Oregon House and Senate, including discrimination she faced because of her race and gender. She also shares information on bills she sponsored, including legislation pertaining to community economic investment, South African anti-apartheid divestment, and establishing a Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in Oregon.