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Vera Katz, who helped turn Portland into an eco-friendly hipster haven, dies at 84

Portland Mayor Vera Katz speaks to her supporters on election night in 2003.
Portland Mayor Vera Katz speaks to her supporters on election night in 2003.
(Greg Wahl-Stephens / Associated Press)
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Vera Katz, a Jewish refugee who as mayor helped transform Portland from a sleepy backwater into a trendy city known for its public transit, eco-conscious design and live-work architecture style, has died after being diagnosed with acute leukemia.

Katz was diagnosed this month after undergoing dialysis for more than a dozen years following cancer treatment. She died Monday at age 84.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called Katz an “indomitable woman” who left a lasting impact on Oregon and its largest city. She also served as the first female speaker of the Oregon House.

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A visionary urban planner with the ability to reach across the aisle, Katz oversaw plans for the internationally known Pearl District and neighborhoods along the Willamette River that changed the city into a hipster haven and an international tourist destination.

A champion of the arts, Katz also oversaw construction of Lan Su Yuan, an intricate Suzhou-style Chinese garden in the heart of the city’s old town that draws visitors from around the world.

“Vera Katz was more than a pioneer. She was a force. She escaped the Nazis. She battled cancer. She ran the House. She ran the city. She was a natural leader. Vera led and people followed,” said Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney.

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“Oregon has lost a great human being.”

Katz was born Vera Pistrak to Russian exiles in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Aug. 3, 1933, just as the Nazis were seizing power. When she was an infant, her family escaped to Paris and then, when she was 7, the family crossed the Pyrenees by foot into Spain.

She arrived in America on a Greek steamboat and grew up a poor refugee in New York City.

“My mom was the embodiment of the American dream: coming with nothing and making life better not just for herself but for the countless others she touched,” her son, Jesse Katz, a former Los Angeles Times staff writer, said in a statement.

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In 1964, Vera Katz moved to Portland with her husband, Mel, and worked as a stay-at-home mother.

She didn’t become active in politics until age 34, when she volunteered for Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign.

Within five years, Katz was elected to the state Legislature and eventually became the first female speaker of the House, a job she kept for three terms.

She went on to serve three terms as Portland’s mayor, from 1993 to 2005 — a critical period for a city that was on the cusp of evolution.

In both roles, Katz espoused progressive causes such as gender equality and gay rights long before they were mainstream and championed education, the arts and labor rights.

She sponsored a landmark school reform bill in the state House and helped pass gun control legislation.

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Katz was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 and an aggressive form of uterine cancer in 2004.

Treatment for the cancer was successful, but left her reliant on dialysis three times a week for 13 years, her family said. Earlier this month, she was diagnosed with acute leukemia and entered hospice.

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