Archives West Finding Aid

The C. Girard Davidson Papers document the career of this public official. The collection is arranged according to activity, including the major series of government projects, legal cases, political activities, and business interests. There are also biographical materials, daily diaries, correspondence, speeches, subject files, and some personal material. One box of photographs has been removed to the Photograph Collection and is available on request. The researcher should also be aware that the majority of material relating to Davidson's service as Assistant Secretary of the Interior (1946-1950) is housed in the Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri.

The Government Project series contains the files of projects for which Davidson was the consulting attorney. These projects include: Tennessee Valley Authority (1934-1937); U.S. Housing Authority (September 1939-September 1940); and Bonneville Power Administration (1940-1946). Davidson was consultant to BPA beginning September 1940, in an attempt to buy out Puget Sound Power and Light Company. In April 1941, he was promoted to Assistant General Counsel and between 1943 and 1946 he served as General Counsel. While living in Portland, Davidson also served as counsel to the War Production Board (1944-1945); and as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for the U.S. Department of the Interior (June 18, 1946-1950). Most of the material covering this period is in the Truman Library. The Oregon Educational Coordinating Commission was created by legislation in 1975, Davidson served as chairman from June, 1975-September, 1977. This commission served to coordinate community colleges and four-year institutions.

The Legal Cases series reflects Davidson's work as a consultant to many large corporations and several utility companies. In 1967 he was hired by New York City Council on Consumer Affairs, during Mayor John Lindsay's term, to investigate the rates and services of Consolidated Edison. He acted as attorney for Harvey Machine Company of Kalispell, Montana. This was an unsuccessful effort to obtain a $46 million loan to build an aluminum plant (1950-1952). These files reflect the influence that was exerted by some large corporations in trying to maintain their monopoly in the aluminum field. The National Hells Canyon Association hired him as counsel in their battle to convince citizens and legislators that a high Hells Canyon dam was preferable to a series of lower dams proposed by the Idaho Power Company (1953-1963). Davidson served as company liaison for U.S. Plywood-Champion Papers Inc. In 1968, U.S. Plywood Champion Papers was awarded the sale of 8.75 billion board feet of timber in the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska. When the company decided to build a pulp mill, it arranged for the services and advice of a team of seven ecologists and environmentalists. Davidson served with the ecology team. He also represented the paper company in a suit filed against them by the Sierra Club (1970). The purpose of the suit was to void the timber sale and prevent construction of the pulp and paper mill at Berners Bay near Juneau. The decision of the Federal District Court of Alaska has become a landmark case and is used in a number of law schools and textbooks as a leading case in environmental law. The Alaska court ruled in favor of the U.S. Forest Service and Champion Papers. The Sierra Club appealed the decision but in pendency of litigation (4 years) the cost of construction escalated to the point that the project was no longer feasible. On August 20, 1976, the case was dismissed "upon the ground that it had been rendered moot."

Davidson was highly active in the political arena that included Oregon and the nation. Correspondence files in the Political Activities series include Frank Church, Hubert Humphrey, John F. Kennedy, Wayne Morse, Richard L. Neuberger, Charles O. Porter, and Adlai Stevenson. His activities include his work with the Western States Democratic Conference, Democratic National Committee, and the Advisory Council on Natural Resources of the Democratic National Committee.

The Business Interests series includes folders on the Alaska Pacific Lumber Company that was founded by Davidson in 1957. This was the first modern sawmill and chipping plant in the state, located in Wrangell, Alaska. He sold the company to the Puget Sound Plywood Company in 1967. That company, in turn, sold the operation to the Wrangell Lumber Company, a Japanese firm. Other timber business interests include: Pacific Northern Lumber Company for the construction of the sawmill in Wrangell, Alaska, 1959; Seversky-Electronatom, a company that developed basic patents, designs, and concepts for the creation of a commercially feasible device to eliminate particulate and gaseous emissions caused by incineration and other forms of combustion or Hydro-Precipitrol; Western Forest Products, Inc.; and The Pacific Northern Timber Company. Construction and development interests include: Frontiers Construction Company, Idaho Falls, Idaho, Frontiers - Oregon, Ltd., Georgia-Pacific Alaska, Schenk Construction Company, Townhouse, Inc., Western Land Development Company, and Wrangell Development Company. Other business interests also includes Portland Television, Inc. and J.M. Kaplan. Kaplan, owner and President of Welch Grape Juice Company was Davidson's father-in-law. The Jemkap Company provided loans to Davidson in his numerous business endeavors.

In Davidson's Personal Material series there is a box of audio tapes featuring the appearance of John F. Kennedy on the "Youth Speaks" program on KORE radio, Eugene, OR, May 19 and 20, 1958; and the appearance of Hubert Humphrey on the same program on April 26, 1959. There is also a 16mm silent film "Raven Balloon." There is a defendant exhibit label on the film canister, but the subject is unknown; and so is the legal case. Finally, there is a box of annotated address cards that appear to list Davidson's business and political contacts. Annotations include the relation to Davidson and some personal comments.

Where applicable, the folder-by-folder inventory maintains file folder titles used by Davidson. Most of the political material had been received as a gift in 1966, and was cataloged as collection AX 208. It has now been incorporated into this more comprehensive collection.

Photographs are included.