Neuberger, Maurine B. (Maurine Brown), 1907-2000

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Maurine Brown Neuberger-Solomon, best known as Maurine Neuberger (January 9, 1907 – February 22, 2000) was an American politician who served as a United States senator for the State of Oregon from November 1960 to January 1967. She was the fourth woman elected to the United States Senate and the tenth woman to serve in the body. She and her husband, Richard L. Neuberger, are regarded as the Senate's first husband-and-wife legislative team. To date, she is the only woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Oregon.

Born in Cloverdale, Tillamook County, Oregon, Maurine Brown attended public schools, the Oregon College of Education at Monmouth from 1922 to 1924, and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1929 with a Bachelor of Arts. She later undertook graduate study at the University of California at Los Angeles from 1936 to 1937. Brown was a teacher in Oregon public schools between 1932 and 1944; in 1937, while teaching in a Portland high school, she met Richard L. Neuberger. The couple married in 1945, after Neuberger completed his service in World War II.

Inspired by her husband's successful 1948 run for the Oregon senate, Maurine Neuberger entered politics in 1950 when she was elected a member of the State House of Representatives and served from 1950 to 1955. In 1952, when she was reelected to the state House and her husband was reelected to the state Senate, she won with more votes than her husband. During this period she was also a member of the board of directors of the American Association for the United Nations. Richard was elected to the United States Senate in 1954. Maurine oined him as an unpaid aide in Washington in 1955 after completing her final term in the Oregon house.

Following her husband's death in March 1960, Neuberger sought and won the Democratic nomination and defeated Republican Elmo Smith, a former governor, for both the unexpired term (November 9 to January 3, 1961) and the full term ending January 3, 1967. As Senator, Neuberger focused on consumer, environmental and health issues, including the sponsorship of one of the first bills to require warning labels on cigarette packaging. Difficulties with raising funds, disillusionment with Senate procedures, and a chilly relationship with Oregon's senior Senator, Lyman Morse, led Neuberger to announce that she would not seek re-election to a second full term in November 1965.

After leaving the Senate, Neuberger chaired the Commission on the Status of Women and was a lecturer on consumer affairs and the status of women and taught American government at Boston University, Radcliffe Institute, and Reed College. She briefly remarried, to the Boston psychiatrist Philip Solomon in 1964, but they were divorced in 1967. She retired to Portland, Oregon, tending to her garden and mentoring scores of young Democratic politicians, dying there in 2000.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Richard Neuberger papers, 1930-1960 University of Oregon Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
creatorOf Neuberger, Maurine Brown, 1907-2000. Papers, 1966-1969 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Neuberger, Maurine Brown, 1907-. Maurine and Richard L. Neuberger papers [manuscript], 1954-1966. Oregon Historical Society Research Library
referencedIn East, Catherine Shipe. Papers of Catherine Shipe East. 1941-1995 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Neuberger, Richard L. (Richard Lewis), 1912-1960,. Neuberger Family Photographs Collection [graphic], 1893-ca. 1997, (bulk 1950-1966). Oregon Historical Society Research Library
referencedIn Peterson, Esther, 1906-1997. Papers, 1884-1998 (inclusive), 1929-1998 (bulk). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Oral history interview with Mary Jane Sills, 2003 August 8, 11 Oregon Historical Society Research Library
creatorOf Records of Temporary Committees, Commissions, and Boards. 1893 - 2008. Records of Task Forces National Archives at College Park
referencedIn George W. Pray Papers, 1844-1890 Bentley Historical Library
referencedIn Democratic Party of Oregon records, 1952-1968 University of Oregon Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
contributorOf Richard L. and Maurine B. Neuberger Papers, 1958-1965 Oregon State University Archives
referencedIn Paul Blanshard Papers, 1912-1979 Bentley Historical Library
referencedIn Ehrmann, Herbert B. (Herbert Brutus), 1891-1970. Papers, 1906-1970 Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Gertrude Glutsch Jensen papers, 1951-1970 University of Oregon Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Jensen, Gertrude Glutsch, 1903-1986. Gertrude Glutsch Jensen papers, 1951-1970. University of Oregon Libraries
creatorOf Neuberger, Maurine Brown, 1907-2000. Maurine Neuberger papers, 1950-1967. University of Oregon Libraries
referencedIn Kilpatrick, James Jackson, 1920-2010. James J. Kilpatrick papers [manuscript], 1925-1966 (bulk 1950-1966). University of Virginia. Library
contributorOf Maurine and Richard L. Neuberger papers, 1954-1966 Oregon Historical Society Research Library
referencedIn Louis Fabian Bachrach Papers, 1950-1963 Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center
referencedIn Rayburn, Sam, 1882-1961, Papers, 1822, 1831, 1845, 1903-2007 Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
referencedIn Papers, 1884-1998 (inclusive), 1929-1988 (bulk) Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
contributorOf Richard L. and Maurine Brown Neuberger photographs collection, 1893-circa 1997, 1950-1966 Oregon Historical Society Research Library
creatorOf Maurine and Richard L. Neuberger papers, 1954-1966 Oregon Historical Society Research Library
referencedIn Karl Onthank conservation papers, 1950-1967 University of Oregon Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Minow, Newton N., 1926-. Papers, 1954-1965. Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project
referencedIn Margaret Bayne Price Papers, 1918-1969, 1947-1968 Bentley Historical Library
referencedIn Democratic Party (Or.). Democratic Party records, 1954-1966. University of Oregon Libraries
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Bachrach, Louis Fabian, 1881-1963 person
associatedWith Blanshard, Paul, 1892- person
employeeOf Boston University corporateBody
associatedWith Catherine East, 1916-1996 person
associatedWith Citizens' Advisory Council on the Status of Women (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Democratic Party (Or.) corporateBody
associatedWith East, Catherine. person
associatedWith Ehrmann, Herbert B. (Herbert Brutus), b. 1891 person
associatedWith ESTHER (EGGERTSEN) PETERSON, 1906-1997 person
correspondedWith Jensen, Gertrude Glutsch, 1903-1986. person
associatedWith Kilpatrick, James Jackson, 1920-2010. person
associatedWith Minow, Newton N., 1926-. person
associatedWith Neuberger, Richard L. family
associatedWith Neuberger, Richard L. (Richard Lewis), 1912-1960 person
associatedWith Neuberger, Richard L. (Richard Lewis), 1912-1960. person
associatedWith Onthank, Karl William, 1890-1968 person
associatedWith Oregon. corporateBody
associatedWith Oregon. Legislative Assembly. Senate. corporateBody
associatedWith Peterson, Esther, 1906-1997. person
associatedWith Pray, George Washington, 1825-1890 person
associatedWith Price, Margaret Bayne, 1912-1968 person
employeeOf Radcliffe College corporateBody
associatedWith Rayburn, Sam, 1882-1961 person
employeeOf Reed College (Portland, Or.) corporateBody
associatedWith Sills, Mary Jane, interviewee. person
memberOf United States. Congress. Senate. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. President's Commission on the Status of Women corporateBody
almaMaterOf University of California, Los Angeles corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf University of Oregon corporateBody
almaMaterOf Western Oregon University corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Eugene OR US
Monmouth OR US
Polk County OR US
Cloverdale OR US
Portland OR US
Los Angeles CA US
Subject
Conservation of natural resources
Politics and government
Politics and government
Legislators
Legislators
Legislators
Politics and politicians
Public health
Smoking
Social security
Tobacco
Women
Women legislators
Women legislators
Women legislators
Women's rights
Occupation
Teachers
Lecturers
Professors (teacher)
Senators, U.S. Congress
State Representative
Activity

Person

Birth 1907-01-09

Death 2000-02-22

Female

Americans

English

Information

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