Jim Bunn

American politician from Oregon, United States

Jim Bunn


Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 5th district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Michael J. Kopetski
Succeeded by	Darlene Hooley
Member of the Oregon Senate from the 15th district
In office 1987–1995
Preceded by	Tony Meeker
Succeeded by	Marylin Shannon

Personal details
Born	(1956-12-12) December 12, 1956 (age 67) McMinnville, Oregon, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Cindy Bunn (m. 1978⁠–⁠1995) Sonja Skurdal
Relatives	Stan Bunn (brother) Tom Bunn (brother)
Education	Chemeketa Community College Northwest Nazarene University (BA)

James Lee Bunn (born December 12, 1956) is an American politician from Oregon. A native of Yamhill County, he served in the Oregon State Senate before election to the United States House of Representatives where he served one term. A Republican, he now works as a correctional officer for the county.

Early life and education

James Lee Bunn^[1] was born in McMinnville and graduated from Dayton High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern Nazarene College in 1979, and remains a member of the Church of the Nazarene.

Career

Bunn worked in agribusiness, and from 1987 until his election to Congress, served in the Oregon National Guard. A Republican, he was a member of the Oregon State Senate from 1987 to 1995, where he served as Republican whip from 1990 to 1995.

United States House of Representatives

In 1994, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, representing Oregon's 5th congressional district. During his one term in the House from 1995 to 1997, Bunn divorced his wife of 17 years, with whom he had five children, and married Sonja Skurdal, an aide in his congressional office whom he made his chief of staff. Bunn then paid Skurdal more than any other congressional aide in Oregon at that time.^[2] In the 1996 election, this scandal contributed to his loss to Democrat Darlene Hooley.^[3]

Later career

After leaving Congress, Bunn became a sheriff's deputy at the Yamhill County jail.^[2]^[4] In 2008, he was a candidate for the Oregon House of Representatives in the state's 24th district which includes McMinnville, but was defeated in the primary by Jim Weidner.^[5]

Bunn ran again for congress in 2022 but came in 5th in the primary out of 7 candidates.^[6]^[7]

Personal life

Bunn's family includes other notable public figures, such as his brother Stan Bunn, a former Oregon superintendent of public instruction and member of both houses of the state legislature.^[8] Another brother, Tom Bunn, is a former Yamhill County commissioner and was briefly a state senator.^[9] All three brothers served in the legislature for a short time in from July 1992 to January 1993.^[8]

References

^ "1987 Regular Session (64th)". Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide. Oregon State Archives. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
^ ^a ^b Jaquiss, Nigel (January 3, 2001). "Jim Bunn: A former congressman now pulls the midnight swing shift at the local jail". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on December 31, 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
^ Doherty, Carroll (January 24, 1998). "Heavy workload exacted a toll". CNN.com. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
^ Sullivan, Julie; Brent Walth (December 10, 2000). "Ex-lawmaker watches reforms exceed intent". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 27, 2005. Retrieved 2006-04-17.
^ Green, Ashbel S (2008-05-21). "Kroger defeats Macpherson for attorney general". Retrieved 2008-05-22.
^ Aabram, Virginia (March 14, 2022). "1990s-era House member seeks comeback after second career as prison guard". The Denver Gazette. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
^ news, In the (2022-03-10). "Ex-Congressman Jim Bunn re-runs for Congress". The Oregon Catalyst. Retrieved 2023-08-28. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^ ^a ^b Hortsch, Dan (July 4, 1992). "Bring out the Bunns". The Oregonian. p. D4.
^ Wong, Peter (2008-03-20). "Bunn seeks return to state Legislature". Statesman-Journal.

External links

Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Appearances on C-SPAN

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Michael J. Kopetski	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 5th congressional district 1995–1997	Succeeded by Darlene Hooley
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Jason Lewis as Former US Representative	Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative	Succeeded by Vince Snowbarger as Former US Representative