ELIZABETH FURSE
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
FIRST DISTRICT OF OREGON

CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES:
During the 103rd Congress, the primary committees Congresswoman Furse will
serve on are Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs; and Merchant Marine and
Fisheries. Her Banking Subcommittees are Housing and Community Development;
Consumer Credit and Insurance; and International Development, Finance, Trade
and Monetary Policy. She will also sit on the Environment and Natural
Resources, and Merchant Marine Subcommittees.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:
Congresgwoman Furse was born in Nairobi to British parents in 1936. She was
raised in South Africa and moved to the United States aa a young woman, where
she became a citizen in 1972. Ms. Furse is the mother of two grown children--
Amanda, 34, and John, 32, by a previous marriage. She is married to John
Platt, an attorney and policy analyst for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish
Commission. They live in Washington County where they own and operate a
vineyard.

LIFETIME WORK:
Ms. Furse has been a lifelong community organizer and activist for human
rights, peace, justice and environmental regponsibility. Her initiation into
public service began at the age of 15 when she marched against apartheid with
her mother, a founder of the Black Sash, a women's anti-apartheid group.

While living in Los Angeles, Ms. Furge worked on a self-sufficiency project
for low-income women in Watts, Los Angeles; and was a volunteer with the
United Farm Workers. The family moved to Washington state, where she became
an effective advocate for Indian treaty rights.

The Congresswoman moved to Oregon in 1978. From 1980-86, she worked for
Oregon Legal Services as the director of the Restoration Program for Native
American Tribes. In that role, she successfully lobbied Congress to pass
three pieces of legislation which restored legal status to three Oregon
tribes. In 1986, Ms. Furse earned the prestigious Durfee Award for her work.

Ms. Furse managed the successful Nuclear Weapons Freeze ballot measure in
Oregon in 1982.

In 1985, she founded the Oregon Peace Institute, an organization whose 
mission is to teach peace and non-violent conflict resolution. The 
Institute gained immediate, positive support. Profits from the Institute's 
retail business help support its educational work, and it serves as a 
model for other non-profit organizations.

For years Ms. Furse has been an advocate for redirecting the nation's 
spending priorities. In 1988, she organized the "Citizens' Train" which 
took 300 citizens from Washington, Oregon and California to Washington, 
D.C., in a high-profile effort to educate Congress on the need for a 
"citizen's budget -- one U.S. Senator called Furse's trip, "The most 
successful lobbying effort of the year."

EDUCATION:
Ms. Furse earned a BA from Evergreen State College, Washington, 1974.

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE:
Congresswoman Furse and her husband, John Platt own and operate Helvetia
Vineyards in Hillsboro, Oregon. They sell their grapes to local winemakers.

Her background, experience and political courage have established her as a
leader in Oregon. Her ability to identify the real issues, and her
willingness to be the innovator and catalyst for change earned her the support
of First District voters.