Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland, 1984 November 16-1987 October 26

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Sweetland, Monroe, 1910-2006
Title
Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland
Dates
1984 November 16-1987 October 26 (inclusive)
Quantity
.1 cubic feet, (27 audiocassettes (25 hr., 52 min., 2 sec.) + index (115 pages) + 1 photograph (color, 3 x 5 in.))
Collection Number
SR 1130
Summary
Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland conducted by Rick Harmon from November 16, 1984, to October 26, 1987, as part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series. Sweetland was an Oregon state representative and senator.
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

Monroe Mark Sweetland was born in Salem, Oregon, in 1910. His family moved to Michigan in about 1915, and he spent the bulk of his childhood. He began his involvement with the Democratic Party when he was just 10 years old by clandestinely organizing a party meeting. He entered Wittenberg University in Ohio at age 16, then attended Cornell University and Syracuse Law School in New York. He met Lillie Megrath while attending Syracuse Law School and they were married in 1933. He returned to Oregon in 1935 and subsequently worked with the Commonwealth Federation, promoted progressive politics, and was instrumental in the rise of the Democratic Party to political power in the state. He also owned several newspapers in Oregon, including the Molalla Pioneer, the Newport News, and the Milwaukie Review. He represented Clackamas County in the Oregon House of Representatives 1953, and served in the Oregon Senate from 1955 to 1962. After leaving the Legislature, he moved to California and lobbied for the National Educaton Association. After retiring from politics, he began a business selling dried floral arrangements, called Western Wilderness Products. He returned to Oregon after his wife, Lillie, died in 1985, and he ran unsuccessfully for the Oregon Senate again in 1994. He died in 2006.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Forms part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Incomplete transcript (626 pages) available for in-person use in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This oral history interview with Monroe Mark Sweetland was conducted by Richard Harmon from November 16, 1984, to October 26, 1987, at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon. In this interview, Sweetland discusses his family background and early life, including his childhood in rural Michigan; his early involvement in Democratic politics; and his experiences at Wittenberg University and Cornell University. He discusses his political activism during college, including his involvement with the Student League for Industrial Democracy and his political activism on behalf of Socialist candidates. Sweetland also discusses his political activities after his return to Oregon in 1935, including his work with the Oregon Commonwealth Federation and his decision to leave the Socialist Party and join the Democratic Party. Also discussed is his work with labor unions; the New Deal programs; and his work with the Oregon Democratic Party. He briefly talks about World War II and its effect on Oregon politics, particularly the effect the Hitler-Stalin pact had on American communists and the Oregon Commonwealth Federation; internment of Japanese-Americans; and his own pacifism. Sweetland goes on to talk about his involvement with the Democratic Party of Oregon after the war as national committeeman; the factions within the party; and mobilizing women and black voters. He also discusses his ownership of several Oregon newspapers (the Molalla Pioneer, the Newport News, and the Milwaukie Review) and about running them with the help of his wife, Lillie Sweetland. In addition, he describes his experiences as a legislator in the Oregon House of Representatives and Senate during the 1950s and early 1960s. Topics include: education; attempts to pass a sales tax; campaign finance; and Wayne Morse's switch to the Democratic Party. He also discusses working closely with Howard Morgan, the national chairman of the Democratic Party; U.S. Senator Dick Neuberger; and U.S. Representative Edith Green. Sweetland talks about his relationship with Mark Hatfield and running for secretary of state against him in 1956; the 1962 presidential election and his support of John F. Kennedy; and his campaign for secretary of state in 1964. Finally, he discusses his activities after leaving the Legislature, including his interest in Indonesia and continued advocacy for education as a lobbyist for the National Education Association.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

Audio, index, and photograph available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland, by Rick Harmon, SR 1130, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright to interview held by the Oregon Historical Society. Licensed under BY-NC-SA: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/. Copyright to photograph has not been determined, and permission for use may require authorization from copyright holders.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Related Materials

Additional oral history interviews with Monroe Sweetland are held by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Related Materials

Monroe Sweetland papers, Mss 1747, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Cassette
1 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1984 November 16
2 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1985 January 14
3 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1985 January 14
4 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1985 January 14
5 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1985 January 17
6 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1985 January 17
7 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1985 January 17
8 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1985 January 18
9 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1985 January 18
10 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1985 August 6
11 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 February 13
12 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 February 13
13 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 February 15
14 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 February 15
15 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 May 22
16 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 May 22
17 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 May 22
18 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 October 18
19 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 October 18
20 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 November 25
21 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1986 November 25
22 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1987 May 14
23 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1987 October 26
24 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1987 October 26
25 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1987 October 26
26 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1987 October 26
27 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1987 October 26
Folder
SR1130 Index to oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 1984 November 16-1987 October 26
SR1130 Photograph of Monroe Sweetland circa 1984-1987

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Communists--United States
  • Educational law and legislation
  • Indonesia
  • Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
  • Labor unions--Oregon
  • New Deal, 1933-1939
  • Newspapers--Oregon
  • Pacifism
  • Political Campaigns--Oregon
  • Presidents--United States--Elections--1960
  • Sales tax--Law and legislation--Oregon
  • World War, 1939-1945

Personal Names

  • Green, Edith, 1910-1987
  • Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-2011
  • Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
  • Morgan, Howard, 1914-2012
  • Morse, Wayne L. (Wayne Lyman), 1900-1974
  • Neuberger, Richard L. (Richard Lewis), 1912-1960
  • Sweetland, Lil M. (Lillie Megrath), 1912-1985
  • Sweetland, Monroe, 1910-2006

Corporate Names

  • Democratic Party (Or.)
  • National Education Association of the United States
  • Oregon. Legislative Assembly
  • Socialist Party of the United States of America
  • Student League for Industrial Democracy (U.S.)

Geographical Names

  • Oregon--Politics and government--20th century
  • United States--Politics and government--1933-1945

Form or Genre Terms

  • interviews

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Harmon, Rick (interviewer)