Richard S. Springer ’70

Dick died April 9, 2023, following a massive heart attack.

His life after Princeton could have been predicted with considerable accuracy by many of us. He loved Oregon and politics in equal measure, and he loved Oregon politics most of all. Temperamentally suited to a life in and around public affairs, Dick possessed the ability — rare in people of any age but especially in college students then as now — of imagining himself in another person’s shoes. As a result, he was a master of the nearly forgotten art of respecting people with whom he disagreed.

And so, in the natural course of things, upon completion of his naval service, he attended the University of Oregon Law School and shortly afterward began a three-decade career in public service.

A lifelong Democrat, Dick served as deputy district attorney for Multnomah County, and then spent 16 years in the Oregon House and Senate. He held the post of Senate majority leader and was an early and effective advocate for conservation, gun safety, and women’s reproductive rights.

Dick is survived by his partner, Jan Coulton (daughter of Henry Coulton ’34); his children, Josh and Tess; and two grandchildren. He loved them even more than Oregon politics, and our hearts go out to them.