Liz VanLeeuwen


Elizabeth Susan Nelson VanLeeuwen, was an American politician who was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives.

Early life and career

VanLeeuwen was born in Lakeview, Oregon where she lived until attending Oregon State University. She received a Bachelor of Science in Home Making Education and a minor in English in 1947. She married George VanLeeuwen on June 15, 1947 and was a farmer. She also was a news reporter and journalist for a newspaper in Brownsville, Oregon from 1949 to 1970. She was a school teacher at Monroe High School, a substituent teacher and an adult educator in the 1950s and 1960s. She had a weekly farm report radio program on KWIL in the 1970s.
VanLeeuwen was a founding member of Oregon Women for Agriculture and a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau Women's Committee and Legislative Committee before being elected to the Oregon House of Representatives.

Political career

VanLeeuwen served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1981–1999.
In 1999 she was elected to the Linn County Soil and Water Conservation board and currently holds a position there.
In 2002 VanLeeuwen ran for Oregon's 4th congressional district against Peter DeFazio. She lost 64% to 34%.

Personal

VanLeeuwen and her husband George live in Halsey, Oregon and have four children.