Wyden, Ron, 1949-

Ronald Lee Wyden (born May 3, 1949) is an American politician and retired educator. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Oregon's 3rd congressional district from 1981 to 1996 and has served as a U.S. Senator from Oregon since 1996.

Born in Wichita, Kansas and raised in Palo Alto, California, he graduated from Palo Alto High School before attending the University of California, Santa Barbara and earning a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. While teaching gerontology at several Oregon universities, Wyden founded the Oregon chapter of the Gray Panthers, which he led from 1974 to 1980. He was also the director of the Oregon Legal Services Center for Elderly, a nonprofit law service. From 1977 to 1979 he served on the Oregon State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators.

Wyden ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1980. After defeating incumbent Democrat Bob Duncan in the primary, Wyden defeated his Republican opponent, Darrell Conger, with 71% of the vote. The 3rd has long been the most Democratic district in Oregon, and Wyden was reelected seven times, never with less than 70% of the vote. In the House, Wyden played an influential role in the passage of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996.

In January 1996, in a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Bob Packwood, Wyden defeated Oregon State Senate President Gordon Smith by just over 18,000 votes. As Senator, Wyden has taken the lead on policies that are helping to grow the economy in areas like improved infrastructure through his Build America Bonds program, micro and nano-technology, e-commerce, and through incentives for cleaner sources of energy. He has taken the lead on policies that are helping to grow the economy in areas like improved infrastructure through his Build America Bonds program, micro and nano-technology, e-commerce, and through incentives for cleaner sources of energy.