Archives West Finding Aid

Owen Murphy Panner was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1924. He grew up in Oklahoma during the Depression. He attended the University of Oklahoma, but in 1943, before graduating, he joined the U.S. Army, serving until 1946. He met his first wife, Agnes Gilbert, while stationed in Los Angeles, California. After serving, he returned to the University of Oklahoma, where he graduated from its school of law in 1949. He moved to Bend, Oregon, where he practiced law from 1950 to 1980, was vice president of the Oregon State Bar from 1961 to 1963, and was on the Judicial Reform Commission of Oregon from 1971 to 1974. During his years as an attorney, he represented the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. In 1979 he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. District Court in Portland, Oregon, where he served from 1980 to 2018. He was chief justice from 1984 to 1990, and took senior status in 1992. During his time on the court, he met his second wife, Nancy Hanson, while horse riding in Hillsboro. He died in 2018.