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Kenneth A. MacDonald papers, 1950-1968

Overview of the Collection

Creator
MacDonald, Kenneth A., 1917-
Title
Kenneth A. MacDonald papers
Dates
1950-1968 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.42 cubic feet (6 boxes, 1 tube [including 6 sound tape reels])
Collection Number
4555 (Accession No. 4555-001)
Summary
Papers of Seattle, Washington attorney
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users, but access to portions of the collection is restricted. Contact Special Collections for details.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Attorney Ken MacDonald (1917-2012), cofounder of the Seattle, Washington law firm MacDonald Hoague and Bayless, represented a number of clients brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Raised in Quincy, Massachusetts, MacDonald obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College in 1939 and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1942. He married his wife Elinor in 1940 and the couple had four children: Douglas, Lindsay, Garth, and Leslie. MacDonald served in the US Army during World War II and settled in Seattle following the war in 1946.

MacDonald, Fran Hoague, and Alec Bayless founded their law firm, MacDonald Hoague and Bayless, in 1952. The law firm represented clients in fair-housing cases, discrimination cases, and other cases relating to civil liberties. MacDonald represented clients called to testify before HUAC including Margaret Jean Schuddakopf, a Tacoma School District counselor who was accused of being a communist. MacDonald also represented University of Washington employees who refused to sign a loyalty oath during the Cold War era. MacDonald headed the Washington State Board Against Discrimination and was an active member of the Seattle chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Sources:

O’Hagan, Maureen. “Obituary: Seattle Attorney Who Defended the Downtrodden Dies at 95.” The Seattle Times. November 22, 2012. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obituary-seattle-attorney-who-defended-the-downtrodden-dies-at-95/.

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Content Description

Materials include correspondence, subject files, reports, court records, memos, press releases, sound recordings, notes, fliers, brochures, essays, and newspaper articles that document Kenneth A. MacDonald’s career as an attorney from 1950 to 1968. The subject files document a number of topics including the court case Margaret Jean Schuddakopf v. Tacoma School District, the Washington State Board Against Discrimination, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), the investigation of Hal C. Schuddakopf, Hugh B. Mitchell’s gubernatorial campaign, and anti-communism in Washington State in the 1950s and 1960s.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Materials are arranged topically.

Acquisition Information

Materials were donated by Kenneth A. MacDonald, 1996 April 30.

Processing Note

Processing was completed in 1996 October 29.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

  • Description: MacDonald's resume
    Dates: 1952
    Container: Box 1
  • Description: Correspondence
    Dates: 1950-1953
    Container: Box 1
  • Description: Communism and anti-communism subject file: newspaper articles, fliers, brochures, and essays
    Dates: 1959-1962
    Container: Box 1
  • Description: Ed Henry for King County Superior Court Judge campaign file: newspaper articles, notes, and correspondence
    Dates: 1960
    Container: Box 1
  • Description: John Birch Society anti-communism subject file: newspaper articles, notes, correspondence, reports, memos, and essays
    Dates: 1955-1962
    Container: Box 1
  • Description: Hugh B. Mitchell for Governor campaign file: press releases, notes, and memos
    Dates: 1952
    Container: Box 1
  • Description: "Operation Abolition" anti-communism subject file
    4 folders

    Materials include newspaper articles, sermons, notes, newsletters, John Birch Society publications, HUAC broadcast transcripts, press releases, HUAC pamphlets, essays, speeches, and commentary about the films "Communism on the Map" and "Operation Abolition"

    Dates: 1950-1962
    Container: Box 2
  • Description: Dr. Giovanni Costigan subject file

    Materials include newspaper articles, correspondence, press releases, and notes regarding Dr. Giovanni Costigan, professor of history at the University of Washington, and his opposition to the public showing of the anti-communist film "Communism of the Map" to schoolchildren in the Seattle area.

    Dates: 1961
    Container: Box 2
  • Description: Sound recordings of HUAC hearings and public demonstrations
    6 sound tape reels
    Dates: 1965-1968
    Container: Box 5
  • Description: Bound US Supreme Court and Washington State Supreme Court reports from cases where MacDonald served as an attorney
    Dates: 1959-1963
    Container: Box 2
  • Description: "Report of the Citizens' Advisory Committee on Minority Housing" in Seattle
    Dates: approximately 1962-1965
    Container: Box 2
  • Description: "Equal Opportunity in the Seattle Area: Evaluation of Policies and Programs Affecting Equality of Opportunity, Especially in Education, Employment, and Housing" by the League of Women Voters of Seattle and a memo
    Dates: 1965 March
    Container: Box 2
  • Description: Margaret Jean Schuddakopf v. Tacoma School District subject file
    7 folders

    Materials include correspondence, court records, notes concerning legal research, court decisions consulted as part of research, and newspaper articles.

    Dates: 1954-1959
    Container: Box 3, 4
  • Description: Hal C. Schuddakopf subject file: reports, correspondence, statements, and notes regarding loyalty security case
    6 folders

    Materials are restricted.

    Dates: 1951-1955
    Container: Box 6
  • Description: Washington State Board Against Discrimination correspondence
    4 folders
    Dates: 1965-1968
    Container: Box 4
  • Description: Certificate awarded to MacDonald by the University Unitarian Church
    Dates: 1964
    Container: Tube 7

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Costigan, Giovanni, 1905-1990
  • MacDonald, Kenneth A., 1917- --Archives

Corporate Names

  • American Civil Liberties Union. Seattle Chapter

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Jackson, Henry M. (Henry Martin), 1912-1983 (creator)
    • Magnuson, Warren G. (Warren Grant), 1905-1989 (creator)
    • Mitchell, Hugh B. (Hugh Burnton), 1907-1996 (creator)

    Corporate Names

    • Seattle (Wash.). Citizens' Advisory Committee on Minority Housing (creator)

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
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