Skip to main content
“Most Oregonians don’t know who Richard Neuberger is, and they should know who he is.”
So says Kerry Tymchuk, executive director of the Oregon Historical Society, in a new documentary about the late U.S. senator that debuted on OPB on Nov. 5 called Richard Neuberger: The Oregon Revolution of 1954. It now streams at OPB.org.
Tymchuk is right: Unlike other prominent midcentury Oregon political figures like Les AuCoin and Tom McCall, the name Richard “Dick” Neuberger isn’t as familiar, except perhaps to Portland State University students who need to go to the administration building on campus, which carries his name.
The tight 23-minute film, part of OPB’s Oregon Experience series, is based on the book Richard Neuberger: Oregon Politics and the Making of a US Senator by Steve Forrester (who co-founded Willamette Week in 1974) that was published last year. As in the book, the film’s centerpiece is Neuberger’s election to the U.S. Senate in 1954—the first Democrat to represent the Beaver State there in 40 years.
“His story and his election victory in 1954 sends a message that politics can change,” Tymchuk says in the film. “That a one-party state, for almost three-quarters of a century, can become a two-party state almost overnight.”
The film also features interviews with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), former U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, author Forrester, University of Oregon journalism professor Brent Walth, and members of Neuberger’s family. The film is produced by Jacob Pander of OPB.
One big reason Neuberger isn’t better known is because his life was cut tragically short; he died at age 47 in 1960 after a stroke. His wife, Maurine Neuberger, an established politician in her own right, went on to run for and win his vacant Senate seat.
There’s a lot here for media junkies and Portland history nerds alike. Before pivoting to politics, Neuberger was a prolific journalist and author, writing for The Nation and The New York Times and publishing a book on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Footage in the film shows Neuberger’s early 20th century Portland, including downtown, Ainsworth Elementary School, Congregation Beth Israel and his handsome home in the West Hills.
“Neuberger was the first celebrity candidate in Oregon,” Tymchuk says in the film.
SEE IT: Richard Neuberger: The Oregon Revolution of 1954 streams at opb.org/article/2026/11/05/richard-neuberger-oregon-experience-politics-history.
