April 8, 2021 3:50 a.m.
Known as a proud veteran, a longtime member of the Oregon State Legislature, and a south county businessman, Bill Markham passed away on Monday.
Markham grew up in Centralia, Washington. He was a B-17 pilot in the 398th Bomber Group that was part of the 8th Air Force, flying missions in Europe during World War II. After four years in the service, Markham returned home.
In 1948 he came to Douglas County when his father opened a sawmill in the south part of the county. That business was sold in the mid-1960s then Markham and a partner went on to own a logging, road construction and rock crushing business for a number of years.
Markham served in the legislature from 1969 to 1997, for a record 14 terms. His district originally was only in Douglas County but due to redistricting, was pushed south and eventually also included parts of Josephine County, clear to Merlin.
Retired former president of the Ford Family Foundation, Norm Smith served in the legislature with Markham for several years in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. Smith told News Radio 1240 KQEN that he had remained friends with Markham, ever since that time. When it came to his work in state government, Smith described Markham as the “loud and clear voice of Southern Oregon conservatism”. Smith said Markham had a role in the first kicker legislation passed in 1980. However, Smith said most of Markham’s legislation didn’t have his name on it, as he would plant the seeds of his ideas into conversations with other lawmakers, letting them run with the ball.
Family members said Markham also helped to craft a constitutional amendment to prohibit Oregon from applying the income tax to social security payments. A favorite saying of Markham was “what matters most to me is keeping the government off of peoples backs and out of their pockets”. However, Markham was also known for his many bi-partisan relationships, believing that the only way to get things done as a Republican was to be friends with and work with Democrats.
Markham was on the board of the Oregon State Capitol Foundation for a number of years, and was one of those instrumental in the World War II Memorial in Salem, which was dedicated in 2014.
Smith said Markham was also crucial in the creation of a memorial to honor Claire Phillips, a Portland woman who was an American spy during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II. Markham was honored for his service in the military and his long-time work in the legislature, when that memorial was dedicated in 2017.
Bill Markham was 98 years of age.