Oregon attorney general defended assisted- suicide law
SALEM, Ore. — Hardy Myers, a lawyer who became a politician in the Oregon state Legislature in his 30s and then was elected state attorney general three times, has died at age 77.
He was remembered for defending Oregon’s physicianassisted suicide law before federal courts, including the nation’s highest, and championing litigation against tobacco companies that brought in millions of dollars to Oregon.
“Last night we lost a giant in the Oregon legal profession and a dear friend,” Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in a statement. “Hardy Myers was a lawyer’s lawyer, a true professional, and a friend to all who met him. Many of the Oregon Department of Justice’s current staff worked under Hardy’s leadership duringhis twelve years asOregon AG, and his legacy and strong work ethic lives on through each of them. He was a public servant who spent his career fighting forOregonians. There are no words to describe the loss we are all feeling today, except to say that he was simply beloved — and remains so forever in our hearts. The entire Oregon DOJ sends our sincere condolences to Mary Ann and the rest of Hardy’s family.”
Notes of praise and condolence poured in, including from Oregon’s governor and its Senate president, after word spread that Mr. Myers had died Tuesday night from complications from pneumonia. He also had lung cancer.