William Henry Strayer (January 10, 1866October 18, 1946) was an American attorney and politician from the state of Oregon. He served in the Oregon State Senate from 1915 through 1946, representing Baker County. Throughout his long service as a state senator, he was part of a small minority of Democrats elected to the Oregon Senate. He was the only Democrat in the Oregon State Senate during the 1921 and 1931 legislative sessions. When he died in office, Strayer had served longer in the Oregon legislature than any other citizen in the state's history. Today, Strayer is the second-longest-serving legislator in Oregon history. Early life Strayer was born in Freeport, Iowa, on January 10, 1866, the son of George and Mary Strayer. As a young man, he worked as a farm hand and later taught school in South Dakota and Illinois before being accepted into Northern Indiana University. He graduated from the university in 1889 with a law degree. He was later admitted to the Illinois bar. Strayer moved to Oregon in 1896, settling in the Eagle Valley near Richland, where he published the Eagle Valley News. He met Donna Nevada Holcolm in Richland. He married her in Boise, Idaho, on August 19, 1895. Together they had two children, a son and a daughter. In 1898, Strayer ran for a seat in the Oregon House of Representatives as a member of the People's Party, a populist political movement that supported Oregon Governor Sylvester Pennoyer. Strayer was endorsed by the La Grande Observer newspaper. However, he finished last in a four-person race, receiving only 99 votes. In 1903, Strayer was admitted to the Oregon bar and moved to Baker, Oregon, to open a law practice. He served as the Baker city attorney and later the Baker County prosecutor. He was also elected to the local school board. After arriving in Baker, Strayer joined a number of civic and fraternal groups including Moose, Masons, and Shriners lodges. He remained a practicing attorney in Baker for the rest of his life, a total of 42 years. State senator (1915–1923) In 1914, Strayer announced he would run for the District 23 seat in the Oregon State Senate as a Democrat. At that time, District 23 represented Baker County in northeastern Oregon. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary while two Republicans filed for the District 23 position. Strayer faced Frank B. Mitchell in the general