election. However, during the year a court case arose that questioned whether individuals serving on state boards and commission could concurrently serve in the state legislature. While Strayer was not specifically identified in the legal proceedings, as the chairman of the state's oversight board for the department of geology and mineral industries, the outcome of the case could have affected his ability to serve in the legislature. After the judge excluded Strayer from the pending case, a separate case was filed to prevent him from serving concurrently on the mining board and in the state legislature. After nine months of litigation, the court ruled that members of the legislature could not hold concurrent state administrative positions. It was expected that Strayer and the other two state senators affected by the decision would appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court. However, Strayer died less than a month after the decision, so no appeal was filed on his behalf. Death and legacy Strayer died on October 18, 1946, in Baker, Oregon. He experienced a stroke ten days prior to his death and never recovered. He was buried in the Strayer family plot at Mount Hope Cemetery in Baker. His funeral was attended by six state senators representing Governor Earl Snell and the Oregon State Senate. Strayer had served in the Oregon State Senate for 32 years. When he died, he was finishing his eighth four-year term in the senate. That made him the longest-serving legislator in Oregon history at that time. Today, Strayer is the second-longest-serving legislator in Oregon history. On January 20, 1947, the Oregon State Senate passed a resolution honoring the service of Strayer and four other former senators who had died since the close of the 1945 legislative session. References External links List of Oregon Legislators by Session Editors of Oregon newspapers Illinois lawyers Oregon lawyers Oregon Populists People from Winneshiek County, Iowa Politicians from Baker City, Oregon School board members in Oregon Democratic Party Oregon state senators 1866 births 1946 deaths