Archives West Finding Aid

This oral history interview with Marty B. Gold was conducted by Clark Hansen at Gold's office in Washington, D.C., from June 13-16, 1988. The interview was conducted in two sessions; collection includes a transcript.

In the first interview session, conducted on June 13, 1988, Gold discusses his family background and early life in New York City and Miami Beach, Florida, including his early political beliefs. He discusses attending American University in Washington, D.C., including his involvement in Republican politics. He talks about how he came to be aware of Mark Hatfield; about Republican party politics in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly the 1968 presidential election; and about Hatfield's stance on controversial issues such as abortion and the Vietnam War. He then briefly describes his service in Vietnam. Gold discusses his work as a legal assistant to Hatfield from 1972 to 1979, while Hatfield was a U.S. senator. He talks about his duties, including applying for grants, sitting in on committee meetings, and legislation he was involved with. He also discusses other members of Hatfield's staff, Hatfield's personality, and Hatfield's re-election campaigns.

In the second interview session, conducted on June 16, 1988, Gold continues to discuss his work as a legal assistant to Hatfield. He talks about being named Outstanding Young Man in America in 1977, about Hatfield's filibuster on legislation about the draft, and about leaving Hatfield's staff to work for U.S. Senator Howard Baker of Tennessee. He closes the interview by discussing the changes in the U.S. Senate during his time there and his political philosophy.