Bill Kennemer
Bill Kennemer (born 1946) is an American clinical psychologist and Republican politician from Oregon. He represented the 20th district in the Oregon Senate from 2021 to 2023 and previously served in the Oregon Senate’s 12th district from 1987 to 1997. He also served in the Oregon House of Representatives for the 39th district from 2009 to 2019.
Born in Sacramento, California, Kennemer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Warner Pacific University in 1968 and a PhD from Fuller Graduate School of Psychology in 1975. He worked as a clinical psychologist in private practice for about 25 years and taught psychology; he has also worked as a truck driver and farm hand.
Kennemer’s public service began after a 1952 fire destroyed his family home, inspiring him to help his community. He served in the Oregon State Senate as Assistant Senate Minority Leader and chaired the Senate Business, Housing and Finance Committee. He participated in the BiPartisan Tourism Caucus and the Fish and Wildlife Caucus, and was involved with the Education Commission of the States and the Clackamas County Economic Development Commission.
After leaving the Senate, he was a Clackamas County Commissioner from 1997 to 2008, serving five times as chair. In 2008 he narrowly won the Oregon House seat for the 39th district, defeating Democrat Toby Forsberg, and he was reelected four times before choosing not to run in 2018. In 2021 he was appointed to complete the Senate term of Alan Olsen.
Awards and recognition include the Association of Oregon Counties Board of Directors’ Outstanding Service Award in 1998 and the Oregon Humane Society’s 2011 “Top Dog” award for his animal-related work.
Personal life: Kennemer’s first wife died of cancer. He is now married to Cherie McGinnis Kennemer. They have four children and nine grandchildren.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:07 (CET).