William G. East papers, 1936-1983

Overview of the Collection

Title
William G. East papers
Dates
1936-1983 (inclusive)
Quantity
7.69 cubic feet, (5 record cartons, 6 flat boxes, 1 oversize framed item)
Collection Number
Mss 2716
Summary
Papers of William G. East, a lawyer and judge who served on the Oregon Circuit Court and the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. Collection includes correspondence, journals, news clippings and awards regarding the East's legal career, and memorabilia.
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

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Papers of William G. East include correspondence, journals, news clippings and awards regarding the East's legal career, and memorabilia.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

William G. East was born in Kansas in 1908. The "G" he insisted, stood for nothing, despite one aunt telling him it stood for Grant. He came to Salem, Oregon, with his family at a young age. His father worked at a Salem bank, and was killed in a fire at the bank around 1910. East attended the University of Oregon, earning his bachelor of law degree in 1931 and his juris doctorate in 1932. While in college, he joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps to help pay his tuition. In 1933, he and Louise Frances Wilhelm were married; they had later one child. He practiced law in Eugene, Oregon, until 1942, when he was called up to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. He served from 1942 to 1946. After his discharge, he returned to private law practice in Eugene. He served as city attorney for Eugene from 1946 to 1947, and in 1949 he was appointed judge for the second district of the Oregon Circuit Court by Governor Douglas McKay. He served on that bench until he was appointed to the U.S. District Court of Oregon by President Dwight D. Eisenhowser. In 1967, he took senior status, and he served in that capacity until his death in 1985.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

William G. East papers, Mss 2716, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. William G. East, May 1985 (Lib. Acc. 17267).

Related Materials

Oral history interview with William G. East, SR 1213, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Judges--Oregon
  • Lawyers--Oregon--Eugene

Form or Genre Terms

  • clippings (information artifacts)
  • correspondence
  • diaries
  • printed ephemera