Jensen, Phil W. (Philip William), 1936-2023
Biographical note
Philip William Jensen was born in Hood River, Oregon, in 1936. In 1951, he moved to Yachats, Oregon, with his family. He served in the U.S. Navy, and in 1957, he graduated from the Navy electronics school on Treasure Island in San Francisco, California. In 1960, he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Oregon, then joined Luhr Jensen & Sons, his family's fishing-lure business in Hood River. Jensen later became the company's president, and sold the business in 2005. He was a founding member of the Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation, and served on the boards of the Hood River Historical Museum and Trout Unlimited. He married three times and had three children. Jensen died in 2023.
Sources: Vital records in Ancestry.com; information provided by Jensen in his interview; “Remembering Phil Jensen,” by Trisha Walker, Columbia Gorge News, December 6, 2023; Jensen’s obituary, (accessed January 2026), https://www.andersonstributecenter.com/memorials/phil-jensen/5322613/.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Oral history interview with Phil W. Jensen
Oral history interview with Phil W. Jensen, conducted by Clark Hansen on January 6, 2000, as part of the Columbia River Dissenters Oral History Series. Jensen discusses working for Luhr Jensen & Sons, his family's fishing-lure business, and talks about the impact of dam construction on Columbia River salmon populations and sport fishing.