Bob Straub, Oregonian.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Having lost three out of his four gubernatorial races, Bob Straub for a time seemed destined to become a footnote. His four-year administration was relatively uneventful, sandwiched between two-term Govs. Tom McCall and Vic Atiyeh. But Straub's shadow lengthened as the sun set on his life, and by the time he died Wednesday at age 82 his position as a consequential figure in Oregon history was secure.

Straub entered public service as a Lane County commissioner after a successful career in business, and quickly moved on to the state Legislature. He was elected state treasurer in 1964, and won the Democratic nomination to oppose McCall in the governor's race two years later. McCall and Straub differed little on the issues of the day; theirs was mainly a contest of style and personality. Pity the poor politician who finds himself in such a match. McCall won in 1966, and beat Straub again in 1970.

In both those races, Straub ran as a mid-term state treasurer, and in that office he made an enduring mark. He brought the management of Oregon's public finances into the modern era - placing state funds in interest-bearing accounts, creating the Local Government Investment Pool, and investing pension funds in high-yielding equities. When Straub became treasurer, as much as 20 percent of the state's money was idle. When he left office, 99 percent of state funds, and most local funds as well, were earning interest for the taxpayers.

Straub also deserves credit for environmental achievements generally ascribed to McCall. Several initiatives - beach protection, the Bottle Bill, the Willamette River Greenway - were Straub's ideas before McCall embraced them, or were adopted by McCall under pressure from his most persistent political opponent. Successful leaders don't hesitate to borrow good ideas, but it's ironic that Straub was the source of so many of them.

Once McCall had completed his two terms as governor, in 1974 Straub easily defeated then-state Sen. Vic Atiyeh for the office. But his administration lacked spark in contrast to that of his colorful predecessor. Straub suffered a notable setback when voters rejected a tax reform proposal he offered as an alternative to an initiative patterned on California's Proposition 13 property tax limitation, and in 1978 Atiyeh won a rematch.

Throughout his career, Straub was committed to open government, civil liberties, the preservation of Oregon's environment and sound public finance. He remained active in public service after his 1978 defeat, serving on boards and commissions dealing with state investment and migrant workers. Straub's final contribution came after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the late he spoke publicly about his condition in hopes of increasing public understanding of an illness that devastates thousands of Oregonians and their families.

The McCall era, fast becoming mythologized as a golden period in Oregon history, might be more accurately recalled as the McCall-Straub era. Both had a vision for their state, and history will be generous to Straub in recording how that vision was translated into policy.