Former Portland Mayor Vera Katz Dies At 84

PORTLAND, OR -- Former Portland mayor and speaker of the Oregon Legislature Vera Katz died Monday. She was 84.

In a Facebook post, her son, Jesse Katz wrote that she showered him "with unconditional love and lived to see her grandson earn a master’s in architecture."

Katz, who was born in Germany in 1933 before immigrating to the U.S., served as the 49th mayor of Portland from 1993 to 2005. She is the last mayor to serve more than one term.

Before her mayoral career, Katz served in the state's House of Representatives. She became the first woman to become Speaker of the House and served in the seat from 1985 to 1990.

The Democrat was widely popular for her support on public education, gun control and public transportation.

In a statement. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden remembered Katz as a "trailblazer."

“Vera recognized early on the importance of standing up for senior citizens and I fondly remember how older people gravitated to her house because she always picked up their spirits and made politics fun," Wyden said. “Always a trailblazer, Vera will be remembered by Portlanders for the enduring legacy she leaves our city from her groundbreaking tenure as mayor, and by all Oregonians in every part of the state through her service as our state’s first woman Speaker of the House and her lifetime of passionate advocacy for children, senior citizens and the LGBTQ community.”

Mayor Ted Wheeler also released a statement recognizing Katz for her service.

“Vera Katz was larger than life," Wheeler said. "She made an indelible impact on Oregon and Portland over four decades, from the early 1970s to after the turn of the new millennium. All of us in public service can aspire to her boldness, her candor, and her humanity."

Former Mayor Sam Adams also remembered her Monday.

"Vera was a uniquely smart, passionate, and outspoken — an advocate for the vulnerable, for a healthy urban environment, for public education, for equity and for the arts," Adams said. "Vera was a huge part of my life and always will be. I miss her already."

--Photo: Portland, Ore., Mayor Vera Katz enters a building housing Major League Baseball's headquarters Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)