Harl H. Haas Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of the Multnomah County Circuit Court | |
| In office 1985–2001 | |
| Constituency | Multnomah County |
| Member of the Oregon State Senate | |
| In office 1971–1972 | |
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives | |
| In office 1969–1971 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1932-12-24)December 24, 1932 Cape Girardeau, Missouri |
| Died | September 21, 2013(2013-09-21) (aged 80) Portland, Oregon |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Portland, Oregon |
| Alma mater | University of Montana Southeast Missouri State University Willamette University College of Law |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Harl H. Haas Jr. (December 24, 1932 – September 21, 2013) was an American politician and jurist inOregon. A native ofMissouri, he served in both chambers of theOregon Legislative Assembly as a Democrat before serving as adistrict attorney andOregon Circuit Courts judge.
Haas was born inCape Girardeau, Missouri, on December 24, 1932, to Harl Henry Haas and Berenice Taylor.[1][2] After his parents divorced when he was two years old, Haas was raised by his mother.[3] He enrolled atSoutheast Missouri State University in his hometown and spent a year at the school before dropping out and moving toMontana.[3] After serving for two years in theUnited States Army he returned to college and also attended theUniversity of Montana inMissoula.[1] He also helped his girlfriend babysit a youngRush Limbaugh.[3] In 1958, he enrolled atWillamette University College of Law inSalem, Oregon, where he graduated in 1961 with honors.[1][3] That year he passed theOregon Bar.[4] He first married Sharron Haas, then Mary Lou Calvin, and had two daughters, Holly and Amy.[1]
After starting in private legal practice, he ran for a seat in theOregon House of Representatives in 1968 as a Democrat.[5] He won the election and represented Portland in District 6.[5] Haas won re-election in 1970, but resigned on May 11, 1971, when he was appointed to replaceTed Hallock in theOregon State Senate in District 12.[1][6]
In 1972, Haas ran for district attorney ofMultnomah County and won, and then won a second four-year term in 1976.[1] As DA he started an assistance program for rape victims in 1974, the first of its type in the country.[1] He later established a restitution program and a crime-victims assistance program, both firsts in Oregon.[1] Haas was convicted ofdriving under the influence inSacramento, California, in 1977 while still a DA.[3]
At the end of Haas' second term he ran for Oregon Attorney General, losing toDavid B. Frohnmayer in the 1980 election.[7] In 1984, he won election to a seat on theMultnomah County Circuit Court, and replaced John J. Murchison in January 1985.[8] Haas' most notable case on the bench came in 1985 with the murder trial of Sandra Jones that was removed fromLincoln County and hadGerry Spence as the attorney for the defendant.[3] During the trial he disqualified prosecutorJoshua Marquis from the trial.[3] While on the bench he started adrug court program in 1991 before retiring from the court in 2001.[1][3]
Harl Haas died at the age of 80 on September 21, 2013, from lung cancer at home inPortland.[1]