Mark Simmons (politician)

Mark Simmons is an American politician who was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1997–2002 and served as the 62nd Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives.[1]

Mark Simmons
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 58th District
In office 1997–2003
62nd Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives
In office 2001–2003
Preceded by	Lynn Snodgrass
Succeeded by	Karen Minnis
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Joni
Profession	Politician

Early years

Simmons graduated from Elgin High School in 1975 and went straight to work for Boise Cascade. Before his election to the legislature, Simmons served as a board member of the Oregon Land Coalition.[1]

Political career

Simmons was first elected to the State House in 1996. He served as Majority Whip and Chairman of the Rules, Elections, and Public Affairs Committee.[1]

In 2001, he was elected as the 62nd Speaker of the House, a position he held until 2003.

Later life

In 2002, while still Speaker of the House, Simmons was hired as director of public affairs for the Oregon Association of Nurserymen.[2] In 2005, Simmons was appointed as the Oregon State Director for USDA Rural Development.[3]

References

1. "Honoring one of Salem's toughest jobs". The Oregonian. OregonLive.com. May 14, 2009.
2. "Mark Simmons". Willamette Week. September 18, 2002.
3. "USDA APPOINTS MARK SIMMONS TO HEAD RURAL DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN OREGON". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2020-03-26.