Gene Derfler

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Gene Derfler
In office1988–1994
In office1994–2002
(1924-05-24)May 24, 1924Portland, Oregon, U.S.
March 16, 2026(2026-03-16) (aged 101)Salem, Oregon, U.S.
Republican
Thelma
3
Western Washington UniversityPensacola Naval Aviator School
Broker
United States Navy
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World War II
Battle of the Atlantic

Eugene Leo Derfler (May 24, 1924 – March 16, 2026) was an American politician who was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives and Oregon State Senate. He was the last Republican to serve as Senate President.

Derfler was born on May 24, 1924, in Portland, Oregon. He was a graduate from Western Washington College of Education (now Western Washington University) and the Pensacola Naval Aviator School. During World War II, Derfler flew PBY Catalina Bombers over the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to search for German Submarines in the Battle of the Atlantic, serving as a Lieutenant in the navy from 1943 to 1946. After the war he moved to West Salem where he operated NICO Furniture, before getting into politics to reform the workers compensation system.

In 1988, Derfler ran for the Oregon House of Representatives, winning the November election as a Republican for District 31 in Salem. After re-election to the seat in 1990 and 1992, he moved to the Oregon Senate after winning election in 1994, where he remained until 2001. Derfler represented District 16 in the Senate. He was a real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Mountain West Real Estate. While in the Senate he served two sessions as the majority leader for the Republican Party, and during his last session in the Senate in 2001 he was the Senate President, the last Republican to hold that position.

Derfler married Thelma Marie Derfler around 1945; they had three children together. He was honored as a guest in the Oregon Senate in February 2024, at age 99. He turned 100 on May 24, 2024, and died on March 16, 2026, aged 101, at a retirement home in Salem.

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• 2015 Interview