get the highway built closer to its previous location inland. Straub served two terms in the office, from 1965 to 1973, and lost a second bid against McCall in 1970. Governor of Oregon McCall was prohibited by the state constitution from seeking a third consecutive term in the 1974 election. Straub was finally able to win the state's top job that year, defeating then-State Senator Victor G. Atiyeh, winning the largest margin in an Oregon gubernatorial race since 1950. Straub's tenure as governor saw the state's energy and land use laws strengthened. He also worked to increase property tax relief and to provide utility rate relief for senior citizens. He appointed more women, minorities and disabled people to head state agencies than any previous Oregon governor. Other accomplishments included reducing the unemployment rate to 5% from 12% and working to end plans for the proposed Mount Hood Freeway. Straub was defeated in his re-election bid in 1978 in a rematch with Atiyeh. Later years Following his reelection defeat, Straub owned and operated farms in Salem, Springfield, Curtin, and Willamina. In addition, he also operated a ranch in Wheeler County. Straub considered running against Bob Packwood in 1986 for Packwood's U.S. Senate seat, but decided not to challenge the Republican. In 1987, Nestucca Spit State Park near Pacific City was renamed Bob Straub State Park in his honor, and a conference room at Lane County's government offices was named in his honor in 2001. In 1999, he announced that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He died on November 27, 2002 of complications from the disease in the Gateway Living Center nursing home in Springfield, Oregon at the age of 82. References External links Genealogy of Robert William Straub Robert Straub - (1920-2002) 1920 births 2002 deaths Democratic Party governors of Oregon State treasurers of Oregon Democratic Party Oregon state senators United States Army personnel of World War II People from Springfield, Oregon Politicians from Eugene, Oregon Politicians from San Francisco Dartmouth College alumni Neurological disease deaths in Oregon Deaths from Alzheimer's disease 20th-century American politicians American environmentalists Businesspeople from Eugene, Oregon Businesspeople from San Francisco 20th-century American businesspeople