Politics is a brutal business. Most people focus on the voting records or the heated town halls, but the personal toll usually stays behind closed doors. For Kurt Schrader, the former U.S. Representative for Oregon’s 5th district, his personal life became a talking point not because of scandal, but because of a bizarre local legend.
If you live in the Willamette Valley, you’ve probably heard of the "Curse of the Fifth." It’s this weird, almost eerie pattern where every single person elected to represent Oregon’s 5th Congressional District since its creation in 1982 has ended up in divorce court. Kurt Schrader wasn’t the exception. He was the fifth consecutive representative to see his marriage end while in office.
Who is Kurt D. Schrader's wife?
Actually, there are two chapters to this story. Kurt was married to Martha Schrader (formerly Martha Northam) for over 35 years. They met back in the 70s while they were both students at Cornell University. Honestly, they were the ultimate Oregon power couple for decades. They moved to Clackamas County in 1978, where Kurt started his veterinary practice and Martha became a powerhouse in local politics.
They have five children together. For years, they seemed like the bedrock of the Democratic party in their region. When Kurt moved up from the state legislature to Congress in 2008, Martha actually stepped into his old state Senate seat. But the distance between Oregon and D.C. is no joke. By 2011, the couple filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
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Martha didn’t just fade away, though. She’s been a Clackamas County Commissioner for years and remains a significant figure in Oregon politics in her own right. She’s been pretty candid about the fact that the "congressional lifestyle"—the constant travel, the living out of suitcases, the weeks spent apart—is basically a meat grinder for even the strongest marriages.
The second marriage to Susan Mora
In 2016, Kurt Schrader married Susan Mora. Unlike his first marriage, which was very much in the public eye due to Martha’s own political career, his life with Susan has been significantly more private.
Susan Mora came from a professional background in D.C., working in government relations and lobbying. Specifically, she held a high-level position at Exelon, a major utility company. This occasionally sparked some chatter among political watchdogs because of Schrader’s work on energy committees, but for the most part, the couple kept their heads down.
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The "Curse" that followed the office
You can’t talk about kurt d. schrader wife without mentioning the predecessors. It’s honestly kind of wild when you look at the stats.
- Denny Smith: Divorced while in office.
- Mike Kopetski: Divorced while in office.
- Jim Bunn: Divorced after a high-profile romance with his chief of staff.
- Darlene Hooley: Divorced during her first term.
- Kurt Schrader: Divorced in 2011.
Is it a literal curse? Probably not. It's more likely a reflection of how grueling the 5th district is. It’s a "purple" district that requires constant campaigning, and the commute from the West Coast to Washington D.C. is a six-hour flight that kills any semblance of a normal "dinner at 6 PM" family life.
Life after Congress
Since losing his primary in 2022 to Jamie McLeod-Skinner, Schrader has mostly stepped out of the limelight. He took a job with a lobbying firm in D.C. (Williams & Jensen), which surprised exactly zero people familiar with how the "revolving door" works.
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Regarding his current family life, he remains notoriously tight-lipped. His office used to tell reporters that "the Congressman does not discuss his family publicly," and he’s stuck to that. He and Susan Mora reside primarily in the D.C. area now, given his current line of work, though he still maintains his ties to the farm and the veterinary world back in Oregon.
Key Takeaways for the Curious:
- The Marriage Count: Kurt has been married twice. First to Martha Northam (1975–2011) and then to Susan Mora (2016–present).
- The Political Connection: Both of his wives have had high-stakes careers—Martha in elected office and Susan in corporate government relations.
- The "Curse": Schrader was the fifth person in a row to get divorced while holding Oregon’s 5th district seat.
- Privacy: Unlike many modern politicians who post every meal on Instagram, Schrader keeps his family life almost entirely offline.
If you’re looking into the Schrader family history for political research, it's worth checking out the public records in Clackamas County, where both Kurt and Martha established their careers. Their joint work on the Canby farm and the veterinary clinic is still a big part of their local legacy.
Next steps for deeper research:
- Search the Clackamas County Commissioner archives for Martha Schrader’s policy work.
- Review the House Ethics Committee disclosures from 2016-2022 for details on Susan Mora’s professional filings.
- Look up "The Curse of the Fifth" in the Oregonian archives for a deep dive into the 40-year history of the district's marital trends.