Connie McCready
| Connie McCready | |
|---|---|
| 42nd Mayor of Portland, Oregon | |
| In office 1979–1981 |
|
| Preceded by | Neil Goldschmidt |
| Succeeded by | Frank Ivancie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 20, 1921 Pendleton, Oregon[1] |
| Died | December 22, 2000 Portland, Oregon |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Albert L. McCready |
| Profession | Journalist |
Constance "Connie" McCready born Constance Averill (1921—2000) is a journalist and politician from Portland, Oregon, in the United States. She held several elected offices in Oregon during her career, including a serving in the Oregon Legislature, the Portland City Council, and culminating with a partial term as Portland's mayor.
[edit] Early life
She was born in Pendleton, Oregon on August 21, 1921 the daughter of conservationist Edgar Francis Averill.[1] The family would move to Portland and she graduated from Grant High School.[1] McCready graduated from the University of Oregon in 1943. After college she worked as a reporter for The Oregonian, Portland's main daily newspaper. In 1945, she married Albert L. McCready and the two would have three daughters.[1] In addition to working for The Oregonian, she also was an editor for Home & Garden[disambiguation needed 
] magazine.[1]
[edit] Politics
In 1967 and 1969, she served in the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican representing Portland.[2] In 1978, she had rock musician Ted Nugent banned from playing in Portland's Memorial Coliseum, citing some concert-goers rowdiness and her displeasure to some of his music, notably the song, "Wang Dang Sweet Poon Tang." The ban lasted 3 years, and Nugent repeatedly dedicated the song to her at future shows.[citation needed]
In 1979, McCready was appointed to the position of mayor in Portland upon Neil Goldschmidt's resignation to become United States Secretary of Transportation in the Carter Administration. She was the second of three women to hold the post. McCready was mayor during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens when Portland was blanketed by ash on three occasions, and eventually threatened businesses with fines if they failed to remove the ash from their parking lots.[3] She was defeated in the May 1980 primary by Frank Ivancie, whose succession to the office took effect the following January, at which point McCready retired from politics.[4]
A Republican, she was noted for her maverick political views which often deviated from the party line, including staunch support of the Equal Rights Amendment and gay rights.
McCready died in 2000 of complications from a stroke.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Heinz, Spencer. Ex-mayor Connie McCready dies. The Oregonian, December 23, 2000
- ^ "Oregon Legislative Assembly (54th) 1967 Regular Session". Oregon State Archives. August 21, 2007. http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/pages/records/legislative/recordsguides/histleg/statehood/1967reg.html.
- ^ Painter, John Jr. The 1980s. The Oregonian, December 31, 1989.
- ^ "Women's History Month Blog: Connie McCready". portlandonline.com (City of Portland). March 20, 2007. http://www.portlandonline.com/omf/index.cfm?a=bejbjc&c=eeafd.
- ^ Flash: In memoriam, University of Oregon: Volume 16, No. 3, Spring/Summer 2001
| Preceded by Neil Goldschmidt |
Mayor of Portland, Oregon 1979–1981 |
Succeeded by Frank Ivancie |
