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)
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

657 items
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

115 items
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)