Originally there were no women in the Oregon Legislature because they weren't allowed to run or even vote.

Oregon became a state in 1859 and the first election where they could run and vote was 1914, two years after male voters approved it. That was when Democrat Marian Towne became the first woman elected to the state House of Representatives from Jackson County. She was followed by Republican Kathryn Clarke who was the first woman elected to the state Senate from Douglas County. It still took many years for even a handful to win more seats, with momentum building in the 1960s and 1970s.