Elizabeth Susan Nelson VanLeeuwen (née Nelson; November 5, 1925 – November 27, 2022) was an American politician who was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives.^[1]

Early life and career

VanLeeuwen was born in Lakeview, Oregon, where she lived until attending Oregon State University. She received a Bachelor of Science in Home Making Education and a minor in English in 1947.^[2] She married George VanLeeuwen on June 15, 1947, and was a farmer.^[3] She also was a news reporter and journalist for a newspaper in Brownsville, Oregon, from 1949 to 1970.^[4][5] She was a school teacher at Monroe High School, a substitute teacher and an adult educator in the 1950s and 1960s. She had a weekly farm report radio program on KWIL in the 1970s.

VanLeeuwen was a founding member of Oregon Women for Agriculture and a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau Women's Committee and Legislative Committee before being elected to the Oregon House of Representatives.

Political career

VanLeeuwen served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1981 to 1999.

In 1999, she was elected to the Linn County Soil and Water Conservation board and held a position there.

In 2002, VanLeeuwen ran for Oregon's 4th congressional district against Peter DeFazio (D). She lost 64% to 34%.

Personal life and death

VanLeeuwen and her husband George lived in Halsey, Oregon, and had four children. She died there on November 27, 2022, at the age of 97.^[6]

References

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