SALEM, Ore. -- Kate Brown, a Democrat, has served as Oregon's Secretary of State since 2008, and is set to becomeOregon's 38th governor on Feb. 18.
Since Oregon does not have a lieutenant governor, Brown is first in line of succession with the resignation of Governor John Kitzhaber.
Brown, 54, was born in Spain but grew up in Minnesota. She currently lives in Portland with her husband Dan. She is also openly bisexual and was the first statewide officeholder in the nation to come out with this identity.
Her sexuality has never been a prominent issue in Oregon, where Portland recently had an openly gay mayor in Sam Adams and where the current speaker of the House, Tina Kotek, is a lesbian.
In an essay for an online national survey, she said, "I believe it was during my early 30s that I figured out who, or what, I am. But it wasn't until it was written in the Oregonian newspaper that I was bisexual that I had to face the inevitable and let those around me know.".
A 2012 documentary featuring openly LGBT elected officials included an interview with Brown on the subject.
With Brown poised to become the state's chief executive, the Human Rights Campaign issued a statement in support:
"Few are better prepared to lead the great state of Oregon than Kate Brown. She's a known commodity to Oregonians with a distinguished record of service of over two decades. And while she'll make history as the nation's first sitting LGBT governor, the more important truth is that she's supremely capable of leading the state to better days ahead."
Brown's online bio explains that her main goals during her two terms in office have been to remove barriers to voter registration, help promote growth for businesses and entrepreneurs, create accountability for improving education and provide better services for "the most vulnerable" Oregonians.
Before starting her career in public service, Brown practiced family and juvenile law and taught at Portland State University. She earned her law degree at Lewis and Clark Law School.
Brown, 54, became involved in Oregon politics starting in the 1990s. She was appointed to the state House of Representatives in 1991 and served 3 terms. Then she was elected to the Oregon Senate and chosen as Senate Democratic leader in 1998. In 2004 she became the first woman to serve as Senate Majority Leader.
In her free time, Brown said she loves to ride horses and practice yoga. Her Secretary of State Facebook page even features a photo of her on horseback. She keeps in contact with her followers through her Oregon SOS blog and Twitter account, @OregonSOS.
Brown also is president of the National Association of Secretaries of State and was participating in a conference for the organization in Washington this week when she was summoned Wednesday by Fitzhaber to return to Oregon.
She said of the meeting with the governor, who had decided to resign but appeared to have changed his mind while she was in transit, that "this is clearly a bizarre and unprecedented situation."
