John Kitzhaber Cylvie Hayes engaged

In 1997, King County, Wash., marriage records show, Hayes married a teenage Ethiopian immigrant 11 years younger than her. Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian file photo

Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes' third marriage in 1997 was to an Ethiopian immigrant, a union she kept secret from Gov. John Kitzhaber until it was revealed by Willamette Week late Wednesday.

In 1997, King County, Wash., marriage records show, Hayes married a teenage Ethiopian immigrant 11 years younger than her, reports Willamette Week staff writer Nigel Jaquiss.

Jaquiss reports:

It's not clear why Hayes entered into the marriage and why she has kept it secret. However, public records raise questions about whether the marriage was legitimate or whether it was a way to help the young man with his immigration status.

Obtaining residency or citizenship for an immigrant through marriage to a legal resident is often called a "green card marriage." It is a federal crime for both participants if it is determined that the marriage is a sham and executed solely for the purpose of obtaining immigration benefits. It's illegal whether or not the U.S. citizen is paid to take part in the marriage.

Kitzhaber's office referred all questions to Hayes. Hayes declined to answer questions about the marriage.

"I am planning on releasing a statement tomorrow, but I want to answer one question directly tonight," Hayes told WW in an email Wednesday night. "The governor did not know about this third marriage until yesterday afternoon."

Washington court records show that Hayes filed for divorce from Abraham B. Abraham in a King County court on Oct. 26, 2001. Abraham turned 23 that month; Hayes was 34.

Hayes court records show two previous divorces – from Todd Hayes on March 28, 1989 and from Doug McCarthy on Dec. 17, 1996.

Update: Records show that Hayes was listed on the license for her marriage to Abraham as Cynthia Lynne Hayes, with no birth date listed. It's not clear why she used a different name. Records indicate they were both living in Renton, Washington, at the time.

Now 47, Hayes often talks about how her own experiences have shaped her desire to create economies that balance environmental and social needs.

She has shared how her parents fell into a tangle of mental illness and alcoholism when she was a teen growing up in a rural western Washington town. She says she spent a few years couch-surfing and struggling to finish high school and was married twice before earning her bachelor's degree in 1995.

Her confirmation of the third marriage comes three weeks before the Nov. 4 general election and a day after questions were raised about whether she has benefited personally from her role as first lady.

This post will be updated as more information becomes available.

-- The Oregonian

-- Laura Gunderson contributed to this report