Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Grace Olivier Peck photographs collection, circa 1890-1977
Overview of the Collection
- Collector
- Peck, Grace Olivier, 1898-1978
- Title
- Grace Olivier Peck photographs collection
- Dates
- circa 1890-1977 (inclusive)18901977
- Quantity
- 0.9 cubic feet (2 document cases)
- Collection Number
- Org. Lot 105
- Summary
- Photographs of Grace Olivier Peck, an Oregon state legislator and advocate for improved prison conditions. The collection includes photographs documenting the Olivier family, Peck's life and legislative career, and the lives of her friends and associates. Included are photographs of aviator Charles Lindbergh, including one image of his speech in Portland in 1927.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Grace Olivier Peck (1898-1979) was born in Portland, Or., to Jules Olivier and Geneva Young. After her parents separated, she spent her childhood with her mother and at her grandfather's home in the Goose Hollow area of Portland. Many members of the extended family lived in Michigan. Peck's father was a steamboat pilot, and before his retirement in 1921, he sailed the Tanana and Yukon Rivers out of Fairbanks, Alaska. Her younger brother, Arthur, also lived and worked in Alaska. After graduating from Chapman School, Lincoln High School, and Behnke-Walker Business College, Peck worked as a legal secretary and stenographer for Portland attorneys, Latourette and Latourette. She was then employed as a timekeeper in the Vancouver shipyards and served as shop steward for the office employees' union. She also worked in the real estate industry.
Peck married salesman Vernon Maxwell and lived for several years in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif. They returned to Portland in 1927 and separated in 1930. In 1936, she married Raymond Peck, a family friend. With her father, they moved into the house at 2324 SE Ivon Street, which Jules Olivier had purchased in 1914. Later, it was designated the Grace Peck House. The Pecks separated in 1941, and Grace did not remarry.
Peck was elected to the Oregon State Legislature in 1948 and served until 1950. She was elected again in 1956 and served from 1957 until 1977. Peck focused on improving conditions for the disabled, poor, and imprisoned. An addition to the Women's Correctional Institute in Salem was named in her honor. Peck was also known for her abundant supply of candy and flowers, which drew many legislators and discussions to her desk. She was defeated in the 1976 Democratic primary by W. Rod Monroe, who based his campaign mainly upon her advanced age.
Peck was active in patriotic and Catholic groups, such as the Catholic Daughters of America and Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic. She suffered an incapacitating stroke in 1977 and died in 1979.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The photographs in this collection were taken by and for Grace Olivier Peck and the Olivier family from circa 1890 through 1977. An important part of the collection documents Grace Peck's service in the House of Representatives of the Oregon Legislature, 1948-1976. The largest part of the collection contains portraits and snapshots of friends and family members, including soldiers and home front activities during World War I. Locations represented include Alaska, Washington state, and Portland, Canyonville, Seaside, and Zigzag, Oregon. Activities represented include blacksmithing, fishing, logging, photography, swimming, and Elks celebrations, primarily in the 1910s and 1920s. There are many interior and exterior images of ships. The collection includes three photographs of Charles Lindbergh, one of which was taken during his 1927 speech in Portland; and one 1967 photograph of Grace Peck and Ronald Reagan.
Photographers represented in this collection include many photographers from Portland, Or., as well as other places, including but not limited to Bruno Art Studio, David Perry Evans, Gladys Gilbert, Arvid D. Leroy , Patrick J. O'Connell, Roy J. Peterson, and William B. James. This collection contains printed material and negatives.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Some images in the collection are still under copyright.
Preferred Citation
Grace Olivier Peck photographs collection, Org. Lot 105, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series:
- Series A: Grace Olivier Peck's personal and family photos,
circa 1890-1973
- Subseries 1: People, circa 1890-1973
- Subseries 2: Locations, circa 1915-1941
- Subseries 3: Activities, 1908-circa 1920
- Subseries 4: Riverboats and ships, circa 1915-1958
- Subseries 5: Grace Olivier Peck photograph album, 1919
- Series B: Grace Olivier Peck's political career, 1949-1975
- Series C: Other images and printed material, 1908-1935
Custodial History
The collection was purchased by Ron Brentano and Susan Seyl at the sale of the Grace Peck estate.
Acquisition Information
Photograph accession no. 1979D139.
Related Materials
The Oregon Historical Society Research Library holds an unprocessed collection of the papers of Grace Olivier Peck and a memorial book, A Sense of Grace, published in 1981.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series A: Grace Olivier Peck's personal and family photos, 1890-1975Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Subseries 1: People
Arranged first by last name, where identified, and then by
subject, where unidentified.
|
circa 1895-1969 | |
Box/Folder | ||
1/1 | Abernatha,
Liona |
circa 1934 |
1/2 | Abernatha,
Minnie |
circa 1922 |
1/3 | Clark, Verne |
circa 1920-1955 |
1/4 | Equi, Dr.
Marie |
undated |
1/5 | The Grimes
Family |
1915 |
1/6 | Harris, John |
circa 1925 |
1/7 | Lindbergh,
Charles |
1924; 1927 |
1/8 | Olivier,
Albert |
circa 1895-1915 |
1/9 | Olivier,
Arthur |
circa 1907-circa 1960 |
1/10 | Olivier,
Bruneo |
circa 1940 |
1/11 | Olivier,
Jules |
circa 1900-1933 |
1/12 | Peck, Grace and Olivier,
Arthur |
1904-circa 1914 |
1/13 | Peck, Grace |
1905-1909 |
1/14 | Peck, Grace |
1914-1919 |
1/15 | Peck, Grace |
1925-1928 |
1/16 | Peck, Grace |
1930-1939 |
1/17 | Peck, Grace |
circa 1945 |
1/18 | Peck, Grace |
circa 1950-1959 |
1/19 | Peck, Grace |
circa 1960-circa 1969 |
1/20 | Peck, Grace |
circa 1975 |
1/21 | Philbin,
Evangeline |
1962 |
1/22 | Simons, M.M. |
1919 |
1/23 | Simonsen,
Arthur |
1928 |
1/24 | Weaver, Buck |
circa 1930 |
1/25 | Williams,
Vernon |
circa 1921; circa 1927 |
1/26 | Young, Geneva |
circa 1895-circa 1919 |
1/27 | People identified by
first names only |
circa 1910-circa 1936 |
1/28 | Soldiers |
circa 1917-circa 1927 |
1/29 | Unidentified
people--Children |
circa 1900 |
1/30 | Unidentified
people--Children |
1910-1920 |
1/31 | Unidentified
people--Children |
1933-1937 |
1/32 | Unidentified
people--Children |
1943-1949 |
1/33 | Unidentified
people--Children |
1957 |
1/34 | Unidentified
people--Couples |
circa 1900 |
1/35 | Unidentified
people--Couples |
circa 1915 |
1/36 | Unidentified
people--Couples |
circa 1921 |
1/37 | Unidentified
people--Couples |
1933-1939 |
1/38 | Unidentified
people--Groups |
circa 1910-circa 1940 |
1/39 | Unidentified
people--Groups |
1959-1973 |
1/40 | Unidentified
people--Men |
circa 1890 |
1/41 | Unidentified
people--Men |
circa 1915 |
1/42 | Unidentified
people--Men |
circa 1920-1926 |
1/43 | Unidentified
people--Men |
circa 1932-1937 |
1/44 | Unidentified
people--Men |
circa 1940-1948 |
1/45 | Unidentified
people--Men |
circa 1950-1955 |
1/46 | Unidentified
people--Women |
circa 1900-1905 |
1/47 | Unidentified
people--Women |
circa 1910-1919 |
1/48 | Unidentified
people--Women |
circa 1920-1928 |
1/49 | Unidentified
people--Women |
circa 1930-1939 |
1/50 | Unidentified
people--Women |
circa 1940-1946 |
1/51 | Unidentified
people--Women |
circa 1955 |
Subseries 2: Locations |
circa 1915-1941 | |
Box/Folder | ||
2/1 | Alaska |
1924-1941 |
2/2 | Oregon--Canyonville |
circa 1915 |
2/3 | Oregon--Portland |
1916; circa 1937 |
2/4 | Oregon--Portland--Grace
Peck House |
circa 1920 |
2/5 | Oregon--Seaside |
1911-1919 |
2/6 | Oregon--Zig
Zag |
circa 1915 |
2/7 | Oregon--Unidentified
locations--Buildings |
circa 1915 |
2/8 | Washington--Schools |
1934 |
Subseries 3: Activities |
1908-circa 1920 | |
Box/Folder | ||
2/9 | Blacksmithing |
undated |
2/10 | Elks Lodge |
circa 1920 |
2/11 | Fishing |
undated |
2/12 | Horses |
1908 |
2/13 | Logging |
undated |
2/14 | Photography |
undated |
Subseries 6: Riverboats and
ships |
circa 1915-1958 | |
Box/Folder | ||
2/15 | General |
circa 1935 |
2/16 |
Bailey Gatzert
|
undated |
2/17 |
Clair
|
circa 1958 |
2/18 |
Harvest Queen
|
undated |
2/19 |
Hassalo
|
undated |
2/20 |
T.
J. Potter
|
undated |
2/21 | Swimming |
circa 1915 |
Box/Folder | ||
2/31 | Subseries 5: Grace Olivier Peck photograph
album
Contains photographs of Grace Olivier Peck, as well as
various family members and friends, soldiers, and ships.
|
1919 |
Series B: Grace Olivier Peck's political career, 1949-1975Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2/22 | Campaign photos |
1965; circa 1975 |
2/23 | Grace Peck with Oregon
governors
Includes photographs of Mark Hatfield, Robert Holmes, Tom
McCall, and Bob Straub, as well as Vera Katz.
|
circa 1958-1977 |
2/24 | Grace Peck with Ronald
Reagan |
1967 |
2/25 | Grace Peck with Eleanor
Roosevelt |
1959 |
2/26 | Grace Peck with Mildred
Schwabe |
circa 1975 |
2/27 | Grace Peck with Sen. Marie
Wilcox |
circa 1949 |
2/28 | Grace Peck--Oregon
Legislature
Includes photographs of Rep. Roy Fitzwater, Rep. Katherine
Musa, and Sen. Corbett.
|
1957-1967 |
2/29 | Grace Peck--Oregon
Legislature |
1968-1977 |
2/30 | Grace Peck--Oregon
Legislature, color |
circa 1972 |
Series C: Other images and printed material, 1908-1935Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2/32 | Unidentified
images |
undated |
2/33 | Postcards |
1908 |
2/34 | Miscellaneous
notes |
undated |
2/35 | Miscellaneous
reproductions |
undated |
2/36 | Metal plate -- Grace
Peck |
circa 1960 |
2/37 | Negatives for selected
images |
1914-1935; undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Women legislators--Oregon--Photographs
- World War, 1914-1918--Oregon--Photographs
- World War, 1914-1918--Photographs
Personal Names
- Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles Augustus), 1902-1974--Photographs
- Peck, Grace Olivier, 1898-1978--Photographs
Corporate Names
- Oregon. Legislative Assembly--Photographs
Family Names
- Olivier family--Photographs
Geographical Names
- Canyonville (Or.)--Photographs
- Portland (Or.)--Photographs
- Seaside (Or.)--Photographs
- Zigzag (Or.)--Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- Negatives
- Photograph albums
- Photographic prints
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Evans, David Perry (photographer)
- Gilbert, Gladys (photographer)
- James, William B. (photographer)
- Leroy, Arvid D. (photographer)
- O'Connell, Patrick J. (photographer)
- Peterson, Roy J. (photographer)
Corporate Names
- Bruno Art Studio (Portland, Or.) (photographers)