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Oregon's first senatorial couple, Maurine D. and Richard L. Neuberger, married in 1945. Mrs. Neuberger served in the state house of representatives at the same time that her husband served in the state senate. She was elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by his death.
In January 1953, having left the Republican party the previous year, Oregon Senator Wayne L. Morse carried a folding chair into the Senate chamber, dramatically declaring his independence by sitting in the aisle which divided the two major parties. Since this arrangement would have posed logistical problems, the Senate permitted Morse to sit at his old desk on the Republican side of the aisle. By leaving the Republican party, however, Morse lost his seniority and was unable to receive comparable committee assignments. In 1955, Morse joined the Democratic party.
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