Early Life, Education, and Pre-congressional Career
DeFazio was born in Needham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. He credits his great-uncle with shaping his politics; as a boy, that great-uncle almost never said "Republican" without including "bastard" at the end (or "bastud," as it usually sounds in the Boston accent). He served in the United States Air Force from 1967 to 1971. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University in 1969 and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Oregon in 1977.
After graduation, DeFazio worked as a gerontologist. From 1977 to 1982, DeFazio worked as an aide for U.S. Representative Jim Weaver. He was elected as a Lane County Commissioner in 1983 and served as chairman from 1985 to 1986.
Read more about this topic: Peter DeFazio
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