David B. Frohnmayer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Frohnmayer
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| 15th President of the University of Oregon | |
| In office July 1, 1994 – June 30, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Myles Brand |
| Succeeded by | Richard W. Lariviere |
| 12th Attorney General of Oregon | |
| In office January 5, 1981 – December 31, 1991 |
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| Governor | Victor Atiyeh Neil Goldschmidt Barbara Roberts |
| Preceded by | James M. Brown |
| Succeeded by | Charles Crookham |
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives | |
| In office 1975–1981 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | July 9, 1940 Medford, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | March 10, 2015 (aged 74) Eugene, Oregon, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Relatives | John Frohnmayer (brother), Mark Frohnmayer (son) |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) University of California, Berkeley (JD) |
David B. "Dave" Frohnmayer (July 9, 1940 – March 10, 2015) was an American lawyer, politician, and university leader from Oregon. He served as the 15th president of the University of Oregon from 1994 to 2009. He was the first person born in Oregon to lead the university. Before that, he was the Oregon Attorney General from 1981 to 1991. He also worked as a dean at the University of Oregon School of Law.
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Early Life and Education
David Braden Frohnmayer was born in Medford, Oregon. He studied at Harvard University and graduated with high honors in 1962. He then attended Wadham College, Oxford in England on a special scholarship called a Rhodes Scholarship. He earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1967.
Political Career
Frohnmayer was a member of the Republican Party. He served three terms in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1975 to 1981. He represented the southern part of Eugene.
Oregon's Attorney General
In November 1980, Frohnmayer was elected as Oregon Attorney General. This job involves being the chief legal officer for the state. He started his term on January 5, 1981. He was re-elected twice, in 1984 and 1988. In 1988, both the Democratic and Republican parties supported him.
He served as Attorney General until December 31, 1991. After that, he became the Dean of the University of Oregon School of Law. One of his most important cases as Attorney General involved leading the legal actions against members of the Rajneesh movement.
Running for Governor in 1990
In 1990, Frohnmayer was the Republican candidate for Governor of Oregon. The popular Democratic governor, Neil Goldschmidt, decided not to run again. Frohnmayer then ran against Barbara Roberts, who was the Democratic candidate. He lost the election to Barbara Roberts.
Academic Career
Frohnmayer taught law at the University of Oregon from 1971 to 1981. He returned to the university as the law school dean on January 1, 1992. In 1994, he was chosen to be the president of the university.
He announced his retirement as president on April 29, 2008. He was replaced by Richard Lariviere on July 31, 2009. Many people praised Frohnmayer's time as president. The Register-Guard newspaper said he "steered the University of Oregon through grim and changing times." The Oregonian newspaper called his presidency "one of the most remarkable higher education performances in Oregon history."
During his time as president, he built a strong connection between the university and Phil Knight, who co-founded Nike. This relationship helped bring a lot of financial support to the university's sports programs.
Personal Life
Frohnmayer met Lynn Johnson while they were both working in Washington, D.C. They got married and moved back to Oregon. They raised their five children—Kirsten, Mark, Katie, Jonathan, and Amy—in Eugene.
In 1983, two of their daughters, Kirsten and Katie, were diagnosed with Fanconi anemia. This is a rare genetic illness. Their third daughter, Amy, also inherited the disease. Lynn and Dave started the FA Family Support Group in 1985 to help other families. In 1989, they created the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund to support research for a cure. Sadly, all three daughters passed away from complications related to the illness.
Frohnmayer also helped start the National Marrow Donor Program. He served on the board of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
His family was very involved in public service and music. His brother, John, led the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2005, the University of Oregon's music building was named the MarAbel B. Frohnmayer Music Building in honor of his mother.
Death
David Frohnmayer passed away on March 10, 2015, at the age of 74, due to prostate cancer. Oregon Governor Kate Brown said he had a "deep love of Oregon" and a "lifetime of leadership and public service."
