Former Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, one of the state鈥檚 most powerful figures before revelations that he had sexually abused a teenager, died Wednesday, two days before he would have turned 84.
As the young mayor of Portland in the 1970s, Goldschmidt was an electrifying figure. While many American cities were falling apart, he presided over a flurry of innovation in the City of Roses. He helped kill a freeway and launch a light rail. Under his watch, inner-city neighborhoods were lavished with money and attention. Buses sped passengers for free through a downtown transit mall.
Portland historian Carl Abbott said Goldschmidt showed early in his political career that he was a consummate power broker: 鈥淯nlike some other people who think they are dealmakers, he could actually see common points among disparate interests and see how you could pull them together 鈥� find something they could all agree on.鈥�
Goldschmidt vaulted to national prominence as President Jimmy Carter鈥檚 transportation secretary. He returned to Oregon and won the governorship in 1986 and eventually morphed into a powerful behind-the-scenes consultant.
By the early 2000s, he was asked to take charge of efforts to remake Oregon鈥檚 system of higher education. And he was the front man for a Texas firm鈥檚 audacious deal to buy Portland General Electric 鈥� the state鈥檚 largest utility.
Then came the news in 2004: Goldschmidt admitted abusing a 14-year-old girl while he was Portland鈥檚 mayor.
The girl was the daughter of a Goldschmidt friend and one-time aide.
. He tracked a secret $250,000 settlement that Goldschmidt had reached with his victim in 1994.
鈥淗e was a big part of what made Portland, Portland,鈥� Jaquiss said. 鈥淪o it was, yes, very hard to square with the public image of this successful politician, hard to square with anybody really. I mean, we鈥檙e talking about an unspeakable crime here.鈥�
Goldschmidt apologized, closed his consulting firm and left public life. Because too much time had passed, he was protected from prosecution.
Abbott, the historian, said many Oregonians found it hard to even talk about this man who had once been so central to Portland and the state.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 only in the last few years that people are willing to really say Neil Goldschmidt out loud again, as opposed to 鈥榟e who shall not be named,鈥欌�� he said several years ago.
Goldschmidt was born in 1940 in Eugene. He attended the University of Oregon, where he was student president. Afterward, he spent time in Israel and in Mississippi with the Civil Rights Movement.
He later settled in Portland, worked as a legal aid attorney and surfed a rising tide of civic activism.
He was elected to the Portland City Council in 1970 and became mayor two years later. Goldschmidt was the best of salesmen for vibrant, remade cities. As he said in 1976, speaking on PBS: 鈥漈he housing programs and the interstate highway act after World War II subsidized the suburbs. And when the cities come back now and say, 鈥楲ook we have a transportation problem,鈥� we鈥檙e charged with asking for a handout.鈥�
For all his ease with neighborhood activists, Goldschmidt also was quick to build ties with the business community. He worked at Nike in the early 1980s and came to idolize the company鈥檚 co-founder, Phil Knight.
Goldschmidt was a Democrat. But in some ways, he ran to the right of his Republican rival, Norma Paulus, in their heated 1986 race for governor.
In office, he championed regional economic development plans. He poured tens of millions into prison construction. And he launched a children鈥檚 agenda proclaiming: 鈥漌e guarantee to every child in every region of our state a greater chance for a decent life.鈥�
Goldschmidt sometimes struggled to get things done as governor. But it was a shock in 1990 when he suddenly announced he wouldn鈥檛 run for re-election. He cited the personal turmoil of a planned divorce from his wife, Margie.
Only years later did it appear more likely that Goldschmidt feared his secret would be exposed.
Once out of office, Goldschmidt opened his own consulting firm with a long list of well-heeled clients, including Nike, Weyerhaeuser and billionaire Paul Allen. He also started a well-regarded nonprofit that helps children learn to read.
He appeared to relish his new role and the money that came along with it.
鈥淔inances were certainly part of it,鈥� said Tom Imeson, Goldschmidt鈥檚 chief of staff as governor and later a partner in his consulting firm. 鈥淏ecause he wouldn鈥檛 have done most of these things if they said, 鈥榃ould you just do it.鈥� But the challenge of a project was something that got his juices flowing too.鈥�
He also attracted many enemies as he amassed power. His years of hiding the truth were coming to an end.
鈥淗e wanted to keep it a secret, but in order to keep it a secret, a lot of people had to find out about that. I mean, there were people giving her cash payments,鈥� said Margie Boul茅, a former TV newswoman who first met Goldschmidt in the 1970s.
In 2011, Boul茅 wrote a story for The Oregonian recounting a series of before the victim鈥檚 death at the age of 49.
Goldschmidt鈥檚 victim had suffered from years of drug and alcohol abuse and said the abuse from Goldschmidt lasted much longer than he had claimed.
鈥淚 thought a lot of her problems were a direct result of what had been done to her by Neil Goldschmidt,鈥� Boul茅 said. 鈥淎nd she did. She thought that too.鈥�
Goldschmidt issued a statement when that story came out. He said much of the victim鈥檚 account was fabricated. But he said he wasn鈥檛 鈥渢rying to defend myself because there is no defense.鈥�
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