Congressman Rod Chandler

Rod Chandler was born July 13, 1942 in La Grande, Oregon.  He grew up on a small strawberry farm in the Grande Ronde Valley of eastern Oregon.  He was educated in La Grande public schools where he excelled in athletics and academics.

Mr. Chandler attended Eastern Oregon University in La Grande for one year and completed a B.S. degree at Oregon State University in 1968.  He completed a Masters of Education degree at UNLV in 2003.

At Oregon State University, Mr. Chandler was employed part-time by KOAC-TV and radio (Oregon Public Broadcasting) where he was a program producer and host.  This experience led to his being hired in Seattle by KOMO-TV, the ABC affiliate for that city.  At KOMO Mr. Chandler was the political news correspondent and a weekend news anchor.

In 1974 Mr. Chandler was elected to the Washington state House of Representatives from the 45th legislative district.  He served in that capacity for eight years, rising to the position of chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.  He was credited with leading the legislature through a difficult fiscal crisis in the early 1980s and for guiding the development of the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.  He authored a tough, new driving-under-the-influence law.

In 1982, Mr. Chandler was elected to the United States House of Representatives where he served for ten years.  He was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee where he worked on tax law, pension issues, trade agreements, Social Security and Medicare.  President Reagan cited Mr. Chandler for his leadership in bringing an end to the fighting in Nicaragua between the Contras and the communist government.  In 1992, Mr. Chandler ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate.

From 1992 until his retirement Mr. Chandler remained in Washington as a lobbyist, first with the firm Downey-Chandler, Inc. and later with Fleishman-Hillard Public Relations.  He ended his working career in Centennial, Colorado as a civics teacher at a public high school.

Mr. Chandler is retired since 2007.  He is an accomplished amateur photographer.  He and his wife Joyce are long-time and active members of the Episcopal Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Chandler were married in 1963 and have two grown children and four grandchildren.  The Chandlers reside in Wilsonville, Oregon.