Al Ullman

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Albert Conrad Ullman (March 9, 1914 – October 11, 1986) was a Democratic U.S. representative from Oregon. He served Oregon’s 2nd congressional district from 1957 to 1981 and became one of the state’s most influential lawmakers.

Ullman led the House Ways and Means Committee from 1974 to 1981 and briefly chaired the House Budget Committee in 1974–75. Earlier, he helped create the Joint Budget Control Committee (1972–73). He was known as a practical, moderate Democrat who shaped national policy on taxes, the federal budget, entitlements, trade, and energy.

He was born in Great Falls, Montana, and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. After college at Whitman College and a master’s degree from Columbia University, he taught history, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and later became a builder and developer in Oregon. Ullman was first elected to Congress in 1956 after an earlier loss, campaigning on issues like public power and opposition to private control of hydroelectric projects in Oregon.

In Congress, Ullman worked to improve water resources, public lands management, and support for American Indian tribes in Eastern Oregon. He is often called the father of today’s budget process for his role in budget reform, including the creation of procedures to match spending with revenues.

As Ways and Means Chair, Ullman pushed major tax reforms. He also backed tax rebates in 1975 that totaled over $20 billion. He played a key role in the Windfall Profits Tax Act of 1980, using oil company profits to fund mass transit, energy relief for poor families, and the development of alternative energy sources.

Ullman lost his bid for a 13th term in 1980 during the Reagan era, a defeat attributed to a nationwide anti-incumbent mood, a third-party candidate, his support for a value-added tax, and Carter’s late concession in the presidential race. After leaving office in 1981, he started a consulting firm, Ullman Consultants, with his wife Audrey. He gave his congressional papers to the University of Oregon in 1981. Ullman died of prostate cancer in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1986.