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Oral history interview with Freeman Holmer, 1988 May 17-24
Overview of the Collection
- Interviewee
- Holmer, Freeman
- Title
- Oral history interview with Freeman Holmer
- Dates
- 1988 May 17-24 (inclusive)1988-05-171988-05-24
- Quantity
- 0.1 cubic feet, (4 audiocassettes (3 hr., 59 min., 5 sec.) + transcript (85 pages))
- Collection Number
- SR 1327
- Summary
- Oral history interview with Freeman Holmer conducted by Michael O'Rourke from May 17-24, 1988, as part of the Senator Mark O. Hatfield Oral History Project. Holmer was a professor at Willamette University and also served as Oregon director of elections and director of the Department of Finance and Administration under Mark Hatfield.
- 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
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- This project is supported in whole or part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Oregon.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Adolph Freeman Holmer was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1917. He graduated from high school in Fargo, North Dakota. He attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and earned a bachelor's degree in history and political science in 1939. He then came to Eugene, Oregon, where his family had moved some years earlier, and he studied at the University of Oregon. While a graduate student, he met Marcia Kathleen (her surname prior to marriage is unknown). They married in 1942 and later had two children. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After his discharge in 1945, he completed his master's degree at the University of Oregon in 1946, then pursued a doctorate at Columbia University in New York City, but never completed his dissertation. Instead, he returned to Oregon in 1949 to accept a position as professor of political science at Willamette University, where he taught until 1959. It was during his tenure at Willamette that he met Mark Hatfield. Holmer held numerous governmental positions in Oregon, including director of elections from 1957 to 1959 and director of the Department of Finance and Administration from 1959 to 1966. He was also Wisconsin's director of environmental protection from 1966 to 1968. He then returned to Oregon, where he served as vice chancellor of the state System of Higher Education, based in Eugene. He served on the Eugene City Council from 1983 to 1991. He died in 2009.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Forms part of the Senator Mark O. Hatfield Oral History Project.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This oral history interview with Freeman Holmer was conducted by Michael O'Rourke from May 17-24, 1988, as part of the Senator Mark O. Hatfield Oral History Project. The interview was conducted in two sessions. A transcript is available.
In the first interview session, conducted on May 17, 1988, Holmer briefly discusses his family background and early life in the Midwest, including his college experience, his World War II service, and his early political beliefs. He discusses teaching political science at Willamette University from 1949 to 1959, and meeting fellow faculty member Mark Hatfield. He talks about Hatfield's friendship with Travis Cross, Hatfield's spirituality, and his own involvement with the Republican Party. He discusses Hatfield's campaign for Oregon secretary of state; talks about serving as director of elections from 1957 to 1959; and describes other members of Hatfield's staff. He then talks about Hatfield's campaign for Oregon governor; about his own service as director of the Department of Finance and Administration from 1959 to 1966; and about Hatfield's staff. He also talks about Hatfield's marriage to Antoinette Kuzmanich. He talks about Hatfield's agenda as governor, particularly government reorganization, and about Hatfield's emergency response to a flood in 1964.
In the second interview session, conducted on May 24, 1988, Holmer discusses Hatfield's relationship with other prominent Oregon politicians, including Tom McCall, as well as members of the business community. He discusses Hatfield's position on some controversial issues, particularly the Vietnam War. He then describes his own efforts toward Oregon's economic development; Hatfield's keynote address at the 1964 Republican National Convention; and attending governors' conferences. Holmer then discusses his activities since leaving Hatfield's staff when Hatfield was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1966. He talks about serving as director of environmental protection for the state of Wisconsin from 1966 to 1968. He closes the interview by discussing his continued relationship with Hatfield.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
Audio and transcript available online in OHS Digital Collections.
Preferred Citation
Oral history interview with Freeman Holmer, by Michael O'Rourke, SR 1327, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and Willamette University. Use is allowed according to the following license: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Political campaigns--Oregon
Personal Names
- Hatfield, Antoinette Kuzmanich
- Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-2011
- Holmer, Freeman
Corporate Names
- Republican National Convention (28th : 1964 : Daly City, Calif.)
- Republican Party (Or.)
Geographical Names
- Oregon--Officials and employees
- Oregon--Politics and government--20th century
Form or Genre Terms
- interviews
- oral histories (literary works)
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- O'Rourke, Michael (Filmmaker) (interviewer)
