Gretchen Kafoury is considered one of the most significant women who fought for equal rights and citizenship for women in Oregon in the twentieth century.

Born and raised in Walla Walla, Washington, Kafoury began her career as an educator. In 1971 she began a long career in politics when she served on the Portland Metro 4-C Council, and then worked as a lobbyist. In the late 1960s she also volunteered on the political campaigns of Robert Kennedy and Senator Wayne Morse, where she gained experience in the mechanics of running a political campaign.

The early 1970s were pivotal years for Kafoury: she became an activist for women’s rights when she co-founded Oregon NOW (National Organization for Women) in 1970 and the Oregon Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. The Oregon Women’s Political Caucus was a highly effective organization that actively worked to elect women to political office.

She successfully ran for her husband’s vacant seat in the Oregon House of Representatives in 1977 and represented parts of northeast and southeast Portland for six years. Later she served as a Multnomah County Commissioner, as a member of the Portland City Council, and as an instructor at Portland State University. During her terms in elected office, Kafoury focused on issues of health care, fair housing, homelessness, poverty, and civil rights.