Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Mercedes Deiz collection, circa 1875-2014
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Deiz, Mercedes F. L. (Mercedes Frances Lopez), 1917-2005.
- Title
- Mercedes Deiz collection
- Dates
- circa 1875-2014 (inclusive)18752014
- Quantity
- 3 cubic feet, (7 document cases, 1 flat box, 1 oversize folder)
- Collection Number
- Coll 543
- Summary
- Papers and photographs relating to Judge Mercedes Deiz and her family.
- 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
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Mercedes Deiz was born Mercedes Frances Lopez in 1917 to a Czech mother and a Cuban father in New York City. She came to Portland, Oregon in 1948, where she met her future husband, Carl Deiz, and worked for the Bonneville Power Administration until 1953. She then worked as a legal secretary, attended law school, and became an attorney.
In November 1969, Governor Tom McCall appointed Deiz district court judge, making her the first African-American female judge in Oregon. She was elected to a newly-created position in the Oregon Circuit Court system which handled domestic relations in 1973, a position which she held until her mandatory retirement at age 75 in 1992. In her later years, Deiz served as a senior judge and mediator in the circuit courts. Throughout her career, Deiz was actively involved in community service. She died at her Portland, Oregon home in October 2005.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of Mercedes Deiz's papers and photographs, and those of her family. In addition to her resumés and the transcript of a 1981 oral history, materials relating to Deiz include papers from her time working for the Bonneville Power Administration, correspondence, court documents, newspaper clippings, photographs, and awards and honors she received throughout her career. Additional materials include Deiz family photographs, the transcript of an oral history with Mercedes Deiz's husband Carl Deiz, Carl Deiz's correspondence, and photographs of Mercedes Deiz's brother-in-law Robert W. Deiz, who served in the Tuskegee Airmen's Red Wings unit during the Second World War, and was the model for a 1944 war bonds poster.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
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 prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.
Preferred Citation
Mercedes Deiz collection, Coll 543, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in the following series:
- Series A: Life and career
- Series B: Scrapbook materials
- Series C: Other Deiz family members
- Series D: Other papers
- Series E: Photographs
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series A : Life and Career , 1949-2007 Return to Top
See also Series B - Scrapbooks for materials related to Deiz's life and career.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Resumes and biographical information |
|
| 1/2 | Oral history transcript |
1981 February |
| 1/3 | Divorce from William Owens |
1949 |
| 1/4 | Personnel file, Bonneville Power Administration
|
1949-1953 |
| 1/5 | Loyalty Proceedings
Documents wherein Deiz responds to accusations of having ties
with Communists.
|
1950-1953 |
| 1/6 | "Toward a World Community" program schedule
|
1968 January |
| 1/7 | Judicial Appointment - letters and notes of
encouragement |
1969 |
| 1/8 | Judicial appointments and elections |
1955-1984 |
| 1/9 | Newspaper clippings - courtroom shooting
News articles about incident wherein man killed his wife's
attorney and committed suicide after Deiz had ruled agains him in a custody
case.
|
1979 |
| 1/10 | Correspondence and documents about Gates trial
|
1980 |
| 1/11 | Newspaper clippings - Gates trial |
1980-1992 |
| 1/12 | Brief of amicus curiae, Oregonian Publishing Company
and David Leroy Whitney v. Mercedes Deiz
Document from case which stemmed over Deiz's refusal to allow
reporters inside the courtroom for the juvenile case involving Michele Gates.
|
1980 |
| 1/13 | Decision, Oregonian Publishing Company and David Leroy
Whitney v. Mercedes Deiz
Decision by the Oregon Supreme Court which ruled in Deiz's
favor, barring press access to the courtroom for the Gates trial.
|
1980 June 18 |
| 1/14 | National Center for State Courts |
1981 |
| 1/15 | National Association of Women Judges |
|
| 1/16 | Joint Press, Bar, and Broadcasting Committee
|
1983-1984 |
| 2/1 | Portland-Guadalajara Sister City Association
|
1984 |
| 2/2 | "Homosexual parent" materials |
1978; undated |
| 2/3 | Marital mediation guidelines and joint custody
|
|
| 2/4 | Correspondence and papers regardng juvenile law
|
1983-1985 |
| 2/5 | Weddings performed |
|
| 2/6 | Testimonials for others |
1966; 1995 |
| 2/7 | Handbooks on judicual conduct |
|
| 2/8 | Pacific Ballet Theater correspondence |
1985-1987 |
| 2/9 | Miscellaneous Letters
Includes a 2006 letter to Deiz's family.
|
1974-2006 |
| 2/10 | Notes |
|
| 2/11 | Business cards and stationery |
|
| 2/12 | Awards, certificates and honors (general) |
1976-1992 |
| 8/1 | Oregon District Court Certificate of Admission to the
Bar |
1960 |
| 8/2 | Ninth Circuit Court Certificate of Admission
|
1963 |
| 8/3 | Portland Public Schools award |
1964 |
| 8/4 | Board of Trustees certificate, Lewis & Clark
College |
1971 |
| 8/5 | World Academy membership certificate |
1976 |
| 2/13 | National Center for State Courts award |
1984 |
| 2/14 | Women of Excellence award |
1984 |
| 2/15 | Albina Women's League Foundation award |
2000 February 26 |
| 3/1 | Oregon State Bar award |
2000 Setpember 22 |
| 8/10 | Hunter College honorary degree |
1997 |
| 3/2 | Hunter College honorary degree - correspondence,
clippings, etc. |
1997 |
| 3/3 | Correspondence about awards and honors |
|
| 3/4 | Newspaper clippings about awards and honors
|
|
| 3/5 | Newspaper clippings about Deiz's career (folder 1)
|
1961-2005 |
| 3/6 | Newspaper clippings about Deiz's career (folder 2)
|
1961-2005 |
| 3/7 | Publications and newsletters mentioning Deiz
|
1981-1997 |
| 3/8 | Eulogy and memorials |
2005-2007 |
Series B : Scrapbook materials , 1971-1990 Return to Top
Clippings, documents, photographs, and ephemera removed from scrapbooks.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3/9 | 1971-1974 scrapbook |
|
| 3/10 | 1972 scrapbook (folder 1) |
|
| 3/11 | 1973 scrapbook (folder 2) |
|
| 4/1 | 1973-1976 scrapbook |
|
| 4/2 | 1975-1977 scrapbook (folder 1) |
|
| 4/3 | 1975-1977 scrapbook (folder 2) |
|
| 4/4 | 1975-1977 scrapbook (folder 3) |
|
| 4/5 | 1975-1978 scrapbook (folder 1) |
|
| 4/6 | 1975-1978 scrapbook (folder 2) |
|
| 4/7 | 1975-1978 scrapbook (folder 3) |
|
| 4/8 | 1979-1980 scrapbook |
|
| 4/9 | 1981-1982 scrapbook |
|
| 5/1 | 1988-1990 scrapbook (folder 1) |
|
| 5/2 | 1988-1990 scrapbook (folder 2) |
Series C : Other Deiz family members , 1944-2004 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5/3 | Correspondence and clippings about War Bonds poster
featuring Robert Deiz |
|
| 5/4 | Newspaper clippings about Robert Deiz |
1944-1945 |
| 5/5 | Robert Deiz - Obituaries and materials mentioning him
|
|
| 5/6 | Evergreen Aviation Museum award to Robert Deiz
Award given posthumously
|
2004 |
| 5/7 | Carl Deiz newspaper clippings |
1949-2004 |
| 5/8 | Carl Deiz oral history transcript |
2003 |
| 5/9 | Correspondence between Carl Deiz and Betty Gobert re
Robert Deiz |
2000 |
| 5/10 | Bill Deiz - Appellee's Brief
Appears to be school assignment which contains edits and
comments by Mercedes Deiz.
|
circa 1972 |
Series D : Other papers , 1943-2014 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5/11 | Newspaper clippings on black civil rights |
1943-2014 |
| 5/12 | Tuskegee Airmen - general history |
|
| 5/13 | Programs and invitations for award and banquet
ceremonies |
|
| 5/14 | Buffalo Soldiers Reunion Program |
1999 |
| 5/15 | Urban League of Portland - "On the Road to Equality: A
50-Year Retrospective"
Publication by Dr. Darrell Millner. Includes an image of
Mercedes and Carl Deiz.
|
|
| 5/16 | "Portland's Albina Community: The History of Portland's
African American Community, 1805 to the Present" |
1993 |
| Box 6 | "Oral Histories of Women of Color"
Partial dissertation by Kenneth W. Bagley. Does not include
Mercedes Deiz.
|
|
| 8/6 | Print of Jacob Landau's "Nat Turner" |
Series E : Photographs , circa 1875-1997 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Subseries 1 : Mercedes Deiz |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 7/1 | General |
|
| 7/2 | Studio portraits |
1974-1982 |
| 7/3 | Judicial inauguration |
1970 January 7 |
| 7/4 | National College of State Trial Judges banquet,
University of Nevada Reno |
1971 |
| 7/5 | AM Northwest event |
1981 June 23 |
| 7/6 | Adoption ceremony
Adoption of Kara Miller, officiated by Mercedes Deiz.
|
1982 January 7 |
| 7/7 | Hunter College commencement
Event where Mercedes Deiz received an honorary degree.
|
1997 |
| Oversize 1 | National College of Juvenile Justice Spring College
Shows photographs of Deiz and other college faculty.
|
|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 7/8 | Carl and Robert Deiz |
|
| 7/9 | Robert Deiz |
|
| 7/10 | Robert Deiz - War Bonds poster |
|
| 7/11 | Deiz family and friends (folder 1) |
|
| 7/12 | Deiz family and friends (folder 2) |
|
| 7/13 | Deiz family and friends (folder 3) and unidentified
|
|
| 7/14 | Unthank children |
|
| 7/15 | Tuskegee Airmen |
|
| 7/16 | Archdeadon Henry Laird Phillips
Photograph sent with letter in folder 2/10.
|
circa 1875 |
| 8/7 | "Mrs. Pete," "Grandma Foster," and unidentified woman
|
|
| 8/8 | Protective Order of Dining Car Waiters banquet
|
circa 1935 |
| 8/9 | Wayne Morse
Photo by James W. Fiscus.
|
|
| Oversize 1 | Unidentified church choir |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- African Americans--Oregon--Portland--Photographs.
- African Americans--Oregon--Portland.
- African American judges--Oregon--Portland.
- Judges--Oregon--Portland--Photographs.
- Judges--Oregon--Portland.
- Women judges--Oregon--Portland.
Personal Names
- Deiz, Mercedes F. L. (Mercedes Frances Lopez), 1917-2005--Archives
- Deiz, Mercedes F. L. (Mercedes Frances Lopez), 1917-2005--Photographs.
- Deiz, Robert William, 1919-1992--Photographs.
- Deiz, Robert William, 1919-1992--Pictorial works.
- Deiz, Carl, 1920-2014--Correspondence.
- Deiz, Carl, 1920-2014--Photographs.
- Deiz, William R., 1943-.
Corporate Names
- United States. Army Air Forces. Composite Group, 477th--Photographs.
- United States. Army Air Forces. Fighter Squadron, 99th--Photographs.
Family Names
- Deiz family--Photographs.
Geographical Names
- Portland (Or.)--Judges.
Form or Genre Terms
- Awards
- Certificates
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Legal documents
- Oral histories (document genres)
- Photographs
