Elizabeth Furse, who represented northwest Oregon in Congress for three terms in the 1990s, died peacefully at home Sunday at age 84 from complications related to a fall, her former husband said Monday.
A lifelong activist, Furse championed the rights of Native Americans and helped five Oregon tribes to regain federal recognition. She also worked to advance the rights of women, children and farm workers, and she advocated for peace and nuclear disarmament and environmental regulation and land use rules.
Elizabeth Furse shown on the evening of her second election to Congress in 1994. She won by just 301 votes. (Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian)Oregonian
Her work on tribal issues dated to the 1970s. In 1992, running as a Democrat from Washington County, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives without ever having held elected office.
After she left Congress voluntarily at the end of her third term in 1999, she became founding director of Portland State University’s Institute for Tribal Government. She also co-owned and operated Helvetia Winery with her second, now former, husband, John Platt, for nearly three decades.
John Platt and Elizabeth Furse, who were married for 25 years and remained best friends, stroll Helvetia Vineyards in 2002. They co-owned and operated it for 30 years. (Bruce Ely/The Oregonian)The Oregonian
Furse, who was born a British citizen in Kenya when it was still a British colony, grew up mostly in South Africa and, as a young woman, was active in the anti-apartheid movement. She married a U.S. citizen and, after moving to the United States, became a citizen. She was the first person born in Africa elected to Congress, according to her close friend Kerry Tymchuk, now head of the Oregon Historical Society.
Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse with her husband, John Platt, and daughter, Amanda Briggs, at a press conference in summer 1997 to announce that, as a believer in term limits, she would not run for a fourth term. (Kathryn Scott Osler/The Oregonian)Oregonian
Furse is survived by her children, Amanda Briggs of Beaverton and John Briggs of Seattle, and by Platt, with whom she remained close friends. Platt said he and the family are planning a memorial service to be held sometime this summer.
Congresswoman-elect Elizabeth Furse talks to supporters on the phone on election night 1992, after wrapping up a victory over Republican Tony Meeker. (Tim Jewett/The Oregonian)Oregonian
Elizabeth Furse at the Hilton Hotel in Portland on election night 1996. It was her third and final victorious run for Congress. (Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian)November Scans 1996
The interior of Elizabeth Furse's house in Helvetia was a reflection of her interests, the creative talent of her family and her own artistic projects. The photo was taken in 2014, when she ran for a seat on the Washington County Commission. (Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian)LC- The Oregonian
Elected officials and others who knew her shared reactions and thoughts about her many contributions.
“Elizabeth Furse had a steadfast commitment to justice and civic engagement,” Portland State University President Stephen Percy said in a statement.
Direlle Calica, director of the Institute for Tribal Government that Furse founded, said in a statement, “The legacy of her work on tribal governance, restoration legislation and self-determination has been profound and will continue to be realized by generations of Native Americans and Oregonians to come.”
-- Betsy Hammond; betsyhammond@oregonian.com; @OregonianPol