Gretchen Kafoury, an Oregon equal rights activist, was born in Walla Walla, Washington in 1942. She graduated with a BA in Music from Whitman College in 1963. From 1964 to 1966, Kafoury lived in Iran as a Peace Corps volunteer. Upon her return to the U.S., she began teaching English as a Second Language in Portland, both at Grant High School and Portland State University. During her time as a teacher, Kafoury became active in volunteer political activities, working on Robert Kennedy's presidential and Wayne Morse's U.S. Senate campaigns in 1968.
In 1970 she helped found the Oregon chapter of the National Organizaton for Women (NOW) and the Oregon Women's Political Caucus (OWPC) in 1971. From 1971 to 1975, she served on the Metro 4-C Council and she continued to lobby for several women's groups. In 1972, Kafoury aided in the Mink for President Committee, which supported the Hawaiian native, Patsy Mink, in her attempts to get on the presidential ballot. In 1974, Kafoury worked on Barbara Robert's gubernatorial campaign. In 1975, she began working as an EEO consultant.
Kafoury served as a State Representative for Oregon from 1977 to 1982, filling the seat her husband had left to continue onto the Senate. During her time as a State Representative, Kafoury's key issues were health care, domestic violence, mental health and nurse practitioners. In 1985, Kafoury was elected as a Multnomah County Commissioner for NE Portland. She continued to hold priority on health care and mental health, but added poverty, homelessness, criminal justice and teen health centers to her key issues.
From 1991 to 1998 Kafoury served on the Portland City Council. She became an instructor in 1999 and she earned her Masters in Public Administration at Portland State University in 2000. Since 1999 she has taught classes related to community development, homelessness and poverty at PSU.
From the guide to the Gretchen Kafoury papers, 1971-1983, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)
