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William Drake Rutherford, former legislator and treasurer for the state of Oregon, was born on January 14, 1939, in Marshalltown, Iowa. His family moved to Oregon in 1946 where his father, William Donald Rutherford, was a successful businessman and community leader in McMinnville, owning numerous variety stores and discount stores around Northwestern Oregon.

Rutherford grew up in McMinnville, and attended public schools there. He was voted president of his high school class four times and was enrolled in the National Honor Society. He later attended the University of Oregon where he majored in history, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1961. While studying at the University of Oregon, he was a member of the fraternities Sigma Phi Epsilon and Phi Eta Sigma, the Druids and Friars. He studied law at Harvard University, graduating in 1964 with a J.D. degree. He was admitted to practice law in the state of Oregon the same year, but instead served in the army for two years as a First Lieutenant QMC. In 1965 he married Janice Willilams, a 1963 graduate of the University of Oregon. They later divorced. He returned to Portland in 1966 and was employed in the firm Maguire, Kester, and Cosgrave, which practiced general litigation and business law. In 1969 Rutherford left the Maguire firm and joined the stock brokerage house May & Co., Inc., for which he was house counsel. Rutherford later became CEO for May & Co. In 1971, Rutherford became a self-employed attorney in McMinnville and Newberg, and was a member of the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange. He was also a partner in the firm of Rutherford, Hansen, and Mahr, located in Newberg and McMinnville. Rutherford has had a private practice in McMinnville since 1971.

Rutherford is a member of the American Bar Association, the Yamhill County Bar Association, and the Oregon State Bar Association, and was admitted to practice before Oregon courts and the Federal District Court of Oregon. He has been on member committees concerning administrative law, environmental law, and the future of the legal profession. He is also registered with the Harvard Law School Alumni Association and was President of its Oregon Chapter from 1974-1975. He was previously on the board of directors of the Kiwanis Club in McMinnville, president of the McMinnville Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the Committee to Redevelop Downtown McMinnville.

Rutherford was elected a member of the Oregon House of Representatives in 1977, 1979, 1981, and 1983. In the 1979 session he was named the "Outstanding Legislator of the Ten Mid-Valley Representatives." During the 1979 session he was chosen to conduct business with Governor Atiyeh's office and had weekly meetings with Atiyeh concerning legislation. Rutherford has been the Vice-chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, a member of the House Elections Committee, and a member of the Pensions Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators.

In 1984 Rutherford was elected State Treasurer of Oregon, having run against Democrat Grattan Kerans.

In 1986 Rutherford was Chairman of the Oregon Investment Council.

In June 1987 Rutherford resigned as State Treasurer of Oregon. His reason for leaving was the need to pay college tuitions for his two children. Prior to his resignation, Rutherford had been investigated by the Oregon Ethics Commission, citing conflict of interest, but in February 1988, the Ethics Commission cleared Rutherford of ethical violations and the investigation was dropped. From 1987 to 1989 Rutherford was President and Chief Executive Officer for ABD International Management Corporation, as well as a Member of the Board of Directors and the Investment Policy Committee.

In 1990, Rutherford was President of the Societe Generale Touche Remnant Corporation, as well as a member of the Investment Policy Committee, and the Board of Directors. From 1994 to 1995, Rutherford was Director of Special Projects, functioning as Chief Operating Officer, for Metallgesellschaft Corporation, an international trading, oil, and gas company. Metallgesellschaft Corporation is Europe's 10th largest company. From 1995 to 1996, Rutherford was Principal of Macadam Capital Partners.

In 1995 Rutherford ran unsuccessfully for Congress on the Republican ticket.

In 1997, Rutherford was Chief Executive Officer for the Fibreboard Asbestos Compensation Trust. Honors include mention in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. Rutherford has been quoted and published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Money ManagementForum, The Christian Science Monitor, The Baltimore Sun, Chief Executive Magazine, CNBC, Reuters, Smart Money Magazine,London Guardian and Bloomberg. Rutherford is the author of Who Shot Goldilocks?: How Alan Greenspan Did in Our Jobs, Savings, and Retirement Plans.

William D. Rutherford is currently President of Rutherford Investment Management, based in Portland, Oregon. He has been Chairman of Metro One Telecommunications since 2000; he has also been a member of the Nature Conservancy and the Oregon Community Foundation Investment Board.

Rutherford is married to Karen Anderson, the former President of Clinique. He is the parent of two children: Wayne, Master of Education, Stanford University, Headmaster of the international school in Sapporo, Japan; and Dr. Mel Rutherford, assistant professor of psychology at McMaster University near Toronto, Canada.