Phil Stanford

Phil Stanford is an American journalist and author based in Oregon. Stanford is best known for his work on the murder of Oregon Department of Corrections director Michael Francke and his efforts to prove the innocence of Frank Gable, the man who was convicted of the crime. His 1994 Oregonian series on the “Happy Face Killer” case resulted in two innocent people being released from prison.

Stanford's first book, Portland Confidential, is an expose of the city's post-War past as a vice mecca, operating under the protection of the local police. It was a regional best-seller and received the Independent Publishers "Best True Crime Award" for 2005. The Peyton-Allan Files, published in 2010, is a true-crime mystery about the 1960 lovers' lane slaying of two Portland teenagers. As a result of his investigation, Stanford claims to have solved what is usually considered the most sensational murder case in Portland history.

From 1987 to 1994, Stanford wrote a column for The Oregonian. His departure from the paper is generally seen as a result of his disagreements with management over his coverage of the murder of Corrections chief Michael Francke. His column in the Portland Tribune, which ran from 2001 to 2008, covered numerous topics including the history of political and police corruption and organized crime in Portland, Oregon. Stanford opposed several initiatives of the administrations of Portland mayors Vera Katz and Tom Potter. He expressed especially strong opposition to Voter-Owned Elections, a favorite cause of former City Council member Erik Sten.

Before moving to Oregon, Stanford worked as a magazine writer and editor in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. He has written on crime, national security and intelligence matters for a number of publications, including the New York Times Magazine, Washingtonian Magazine, Parade, Columbia Journalism Review, and Rolling Stone.

Stanford is currently working on Rose City Vice, the third book in his Rose City Trilogy. It is scheduled for release in late 2011 through ptown books.