Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Oswald West papers, 1856-1960
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- West, Oswald, 1873-1960
- Title
- Oswald West papers
- Dates
- 1856-1960 (inclusive)18561960
1895-1960 (bulk)18951960 - Quantity
- 1.8 cubic feet, (4 document cases, 1 oversize folder in shared box)
- Collection Number
- Mss 589
- Summary
- Papers of Oswald West include a small amount of correspondence and other papers from his term as Oregon governor, 1911-1915, and materials relating to his research and writing of political and historical articles, 1942-1960. Included is correspondence with prominent Oregonians and other political figures, such as James A. Farley, Wayne Morse, and Richard L. Neuberger.
- 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
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Oregon's fourteenth governor, Oswald West, was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, in 1873, and came to Oregon with his family in 1877. His father was a cattle dealer who took his son on travels throughout the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon. Oswald West worked as a clerk and teller for the Ladd and Bush bank of Salem, and later the First National Bank of Astoria. In 1897, he married Mabel Hutton of Salem, and the couple had three children. West served as a state land agent in Salem from 1903-1907, and he helped to recover hundreds of thousands of acres of property that had been illegally taken from the state. When Oregon created the State Railroad Commission in 1907, West was appointed to that body by Governor Chamberlain, and he served until 1910. That year, he was elected governor of Oregon. During his term in office, he championed progressive legislation and gained nationwide notoriety for his efforts to close saloons and vice establishments in the town of Copperfield in 1913. After leaving office in 1915, West operated a private law practice and wrote extensively on Oregon politics and history.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection of Oswald West's papers contains a small amount of material relating to his term as Oregon governor, 1911-1915; general personal correspondence from 1940 to 1960; and clippings, documents, ephemera, and other materials documenting West's career, Oregon history, and political and personal matters. Letters include correspondence with or about Oregon governors, including George E. Chamberlain, Mark O. Hatfield, Charles H. Martin, Douglas McKay, Ben W. Olcott, Paul L. Patterson, Walter M. Pierce, Elmo Smith, Earl Snell, and Charles A. Sprague. Also included is correspondence with various national, state, and local political and civic leaders, writers and educators, including: Homer D. Angell, Clyde B. Atchison, Curt Brown Barker, Orson R. Bean, R. A. Booth, William A. Bowes, Ralph L. Carr, Marshall N. Dana, Stanley W. Earl, James A. Farley, Guy Gordon, Ernest Haycox, Rufus Holman, Ben Hur Lampman, Dorothy McCullough Lee, Tom Mahoney, Tom McCall, Charles A. Moores, Wayne Morse, Maurine Neuberger and Richard L. Neuberger, Frank Branch Riley, Robert W. Sawyer, Leslie W. Scott, Omar C. Spencer, A. L. Strand, Robert Y. Thornton, and William S. U'Ren.
Materials in the collection that relate to West's research and writing include correspondence with the Oregon Historical Society and various state agencies; correspondence and other materials about the Columbia Valley Authority and other reclamation and dam projects; a report on the Oregon workmen's compensation law; and clippings and other data on various subjects.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Oswald West papers, Mss 589, 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
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series:
- Series 1: Correspondence, 1856-1960
- Series 2: Writings by and about West, 1893-1959
- Series 3: General files and clippings, 1893-1957
Acquisition Information
Gifts of Reed College, via Dorothy O. Johansen, February 1973 (Lib. Acc. 12482) and via Becky Pollack, March 1972 (Lib. Acc. 12189).
Related Materials
A collection of Oswald West's papers, Ax 174, is held at the University of Oregon Library Special Collections and University Archives, Eugene, Oregon.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1: Correspondence, 1856-1960Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Political correspondence and other papers |
1910-1914 |
| 1 | 2-11 | General correspondence |
1942-1959 |
| 1 | 12 | Atchison, Clyde B. (former Interstate Commerce commissioner) |
1950-1951 |
| 1 | 13 | Baldock, R. H., State Highway Engineer |
1949-1956 |
| 1 | 14 | Cooper, Genevieve (secretary to Senator Wayne Morse) |
1949-1953 |
| 1 | 15 | Dana, Marshall Newport (editor, Oregon Journal) |
1950-1958 |
| 1 | 16 | Devers, J. M. (Chief counsel, Oregon State Highway Commission) |
1948-1950 |
| 1 | 17 | Duniway, David C. (state archivist) |
1953-1957 |
| 1 | 18 | Farley, James A. |
1943-1958 |
| 1 | 19 | French, Boyd (believed to be last letter written by West) |
1960 |
| 1 | 20 | Haycox, Ernest |
1949 |
| 1 | 21 | Hutton and Crandall families (copies of letters) |
1856-1857 |
| 1 | 22 | Johansen, Dorothy (Reed College professor) |
1948-1960 |
| 1 | 23 | McCulloch, Claude (judge) |
1937-1952 |
| 1 | 24 | McKay, Douglas (governor) |
1948-1952 |
| 1 | 25 | Morse, Wayne (U.S. Senator) |
1944-1952 |
| 1 | 26 | Neuberger, Richard L. and Maurine |
1953-1958 |
| 1 | 27 | Oregon Historical Society |
1949-1960 |
| 1 | 28 | Oregon State University |
1919-1957 |
| 1 | 29 | Patterson, Paul (governor) |
1952-1953 |
| 1 | 30 | Peterson, Emil R. |
1957 |
| 1 | 31 | Pierce, Walter M. |
1950-1952 |
| 1 | 32 | Rice, Dexter |
1949-1950 |
| 1 | 33 | Riley, Frank Branch |
1951-1952 |
| 2 | 1 | Roosevelt, Theodore (copy of letter and article from Outlook) |
1911 |
| 2 | 2 | Sawyer, Robert W. (The Bend Bulletin) |
1948-1958 |
| 2 | 3 | Scott, Leslie M. |
1946-1955 |
| 2 | 4 | Skipworth, G. F. (judge, letters and related clippings) |
1950-1957 |
| 2 | 5 | Snell, Earl (governor) |
1943 |
| 2 | 6 | Spencer, Omar C. |
1951-1955 |
| 2 | 7 | Strand, A. L. (president of the University of Oregon) |
1947-1952 |
| 2 | 8 | Swift, George H. (St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Salem, Oregon) |
1951-1957 |
| 2 | 9 | Turnbull, George |
1948-1952 |
| 2 | 10 | West, Mabel (Mrs. Oswald West, letters to her) |
1910 October |
Series 2: Writings by and about West, 1893-1959Return to Top
All writings are by Oswald West, unless otherwise noted.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 11 | "The 1897 legislative hold-up" and letter with remarks by Omar C. Spencer |
1950; undated |
| 2 | 12 | "70 years: Ladd & Bush, bankers" (published by Ladd & Bush) |
1939 |
| 2 | 13 | Aging--Letters and remarks |
1950 |
| 2 | 14 | Battleship Oregon |
1893-1956 |
| 2 | 15 | "Ben Hayden" |
1952 |
| 2 | 16 | Brief biography of Oswald West and Mabel Hutton West |
undated |
| 2 | 17 | Early Oregon politics |
circa 1897-1951 |
| 2 | 18 | Early Oregon stories |
undated |
| 2 | 19 | "First proposed bridges" (in Portland) |
undated |
| 2 | 20 | "Governor West and the convicts" (Atlantic Monthly), by Jennings Sutor |
1911 October |
| 2 | 21 | "The James boys in Oregon" |
1940 |
| 2 | 22 | List of articles by Oswald West published in newspapers and other publications |
1922-1952 |
| 2 | 23 | "The looting of our public domain" |
undated |
| 2 | 24 | Miscellaneous articles by West |
1955; undated |
| 2 | 25 | Miscellaneous writings by West and others |
circa 1911-1953 |
| 2 | 26 | "An old plantation home" |
1953; undated |
| 2 | 27 | Oregon & Central Railroad, land grant and titles |
1905-1953 |
| 2 | 28 | Oregon state affairs |
1950; undated |
| 2 | 29 | Oregon workmen's compensation law |
1913 |
| 2 | 30 | Organization of the Republican Party |
undated |
| 2 | 31 | "Our prison system in the old days" |
undated |
| 2 | 32 | "The shore of the Ocean," by J. M. Devers |
1950 |
| 2 | 33 | "The slavery question in early Oregon" |
undated |
| 2 | 34 | State banking laws |
undated |
| 2 | 35 | "The story of French Prairie" |
1942 |
| 2 | 36 | Sweetland, Monroe (statements and notes) |
circa 1950-1959 |
| 2 | 37 | "The thoroughbreds of early Oregon" |
undated |
| 2 | 38 | Tracy-Merrill break from the Oregon State Penitentiary |
1946 |
| 3 | 1 | Workmen's compensation law of Oregon (typescript of book and notes) |
undated |
Series 3: General files and clippings, 1893-1956Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 3 | 2 | Cards, notes, photographs and pamphlets |
1893-1955 |
| 3 | 3 | Columbia Valley Authority (pamphlets, clippings) |
1949-1952 |
| 3 | 4 | Editorials, historical articles, general |
1914-1957 |
| 3 | 5 | Historical homes and buildings in Oregon |
1940; undated |
| 3 | 6 | Oregon & Central land grants |
1951-1954 |
| 3 | 7 | Oregon's roads and highways |
1937-1952 |
| 3 | 8 | Various subjects |
1915-1952 |
| 4 | 1-2 | Various subjects |
1917-1956 |
| 4 | 3 | Duplicate materials |
circa 1940-1956 |
| Folder | |||
| Oversize 1 | Certificates, and photograph of State Highway Commission |
1903-1948 | |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Governors--Oregon
- History--Research--Oregon
- Reclamation of land--Oregon--History
- Workers' compensation--Law and legislation--Oregon--History
Personal Names
- West, Oswald, 1873-1960--Correspondence
Corporate Names
- Columbia Valley Authority
Geographical Names
- Oregon--History
- Oregon--Politics and government--1859-1950
Form or Genre Terms
- clippings (information artifacts)
- correspondence
