24 Facts About Ben Musa

Ben Musa attended school in Clackamas County including Gresham High School.

Ben Musa was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Ben Musa was the treasurer for the Wasco County Red Cross chapter, chairman of The Dalles Planning Commission, and director of The Dalles Chamber of Commerce.

Ben Musa was active in the Wasco United Fund and the local Kiwanis Club.

Ben Musa's district was later expanded to include four additional eastern Oregon counties.

Ben Musa served in the senate for a total of 16 years, completing his last session in 1967.

Ben Musa first won election to Oregon's District 16 senate seat in 1948.

In 1952, Ben Musa decided not to run for re-election in his state senate district.

However, Ben Musa remained active in politics, serving as chairman of the Jones for Congress Campaign Committee in Hood River and Wasco counties.

In 1956, Ben Musa decided to run for his old senate seat.

Ben Musa re-captured the District 16 senate seat, defeating incumbent John Hounsell.

Ben Musa was a member of the Local Government Committee and the Public Welfare and Institutions Committee.

In 1960, Ben Musa is re-elected, beating George Stadelman in a close race.

However, Ben Musa joined a group of conservative Democrat who with the help of the Republican minority took control of the senate.

Ben Musa served as a member of the Resolutions Committee, Education Committee, and Elections Committee which was responsible for re-drawing Oregon's legislative and Congressional boundaries based on the 1960 census.

Midway through the session, the president pro-tem of the senate resigned and Ben Musa was unanimously elected to the post by his colleagues.

Ben Musa then appointed conservative Democrats to chair key committees with most of the other committee chairmanships going to Republicans.

Ben Musa helped pass a balanced state budget, and led the successful effort to defeat an initiative to create a state sales tax.

Ben Musa created a controversy when, as acting governor, he appointed a Democrat from his district to the state Public Welfare Commission.

The appointment was legal, but Hatfield and many of the state's media outlets criticized Ben Musa for making the appointment.

Ben Musa believed it was the legislature's responsibility to make the cuts.

In 1964, Ben Musa ran for re-election and won a fourth term in the state senate.

Ben Musa died seven month later on 19 May 1974 in The Dalles at the age of 68.

Ben Musa was interred at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in The Dalles.