Cynthia Dee Cumfer was born in Ohio in 1949. She attended college in Florida, earning a bachelor's degree in 1971. That same year, she moved to Portland, Oregon. In 1977, she earned a law degree, and began working as a lawyer for the Community Law Project in Portland. She was one of the first lawyers to take domestic relations cases for same-sex couples in Oregon, and was the first lawyer to represent a same-sex couple in an adoption case. She wrote several books, including "The Legal Guide for Unmarried Couples in Oregon" and "Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Handbook." She earned a Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles and taught history at Reed College and at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. In 2013, she and Valerie M. Lyon were married. She retired in 2015.
2009-02-21
2009-02-21