Vera Katz (Vera Pistrak) ( August 3, 1933 – December 11, 2017)
Vera Katz was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives (1985–1990) and was the 49th mayor of Portland, Oregon
(1993 – 2005). Since leaving office, she had continued to battle cancer.
Vera Katz was born in Düsseldorf, Germany. She immigrated to the United
States with her family after World War II and settled in New York City where
she grew up. Katz moved to Portland, Oregon in 1962.