Lloyd Knudsen, a former political and education director for the Oregon AFL-CIO and a longtime member of IBEW Local 48, died Jan. 31. He was 88.
Knudsen joined IBEW Local 48 at age 17 when he took a job at the Oregon Shipyard in St. Johns after graduating from Tigard High School. At the time of his death, he was a 71-year member of the union.
He became a business agent for IBEW Local 48 in 1964. He served as president of the Portland Building and Construction Trades Council, which later became the Columbia Pacific BCTC.
Knudsen was elected political and legislative director of the Oregon AFL-CIO in 1969, and held that office until 1975.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he worked as executive secretary-treasurer of the Portland Metal Trades Council. He also served on the board of the Pacific Coast Shipyard Health and Welfare Trust Fund.
He later returned to the field as an electrician before retiring in 1984. In retirement he operated two used car lots.
Knudsen was involved in politics throughout his career. He served as the Oregon Democratic Party’s labor chairman for many years.
Lloyd Bernard Knudsen was born July 20, 1925 in McIntosh, South Dakota. His family moved to Southwest Portland when he was young, and he grew up in the Garden Home area.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and saw action in World War II. After boot camp in northern Idaho, he was sent to the University of Minnesota for electrical engineering training and played football for the Golden Gophers in the Big 10.
Knudsen served six years on the board of directors of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). He was a founder of the Oregon Maritime Center and Museum, and he served on the boards of the Rose Festival, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, the American Red Cross, and the Cascade Pacific Boy Scout Council.
Knudsen is survived by his son, Larry, who is a member of Painters Local 10. He was preceded in death by his wife Ann, and longtime companion Peg Dereli.
