Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland, 2002 March 16

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Sweetland, Monroe, 1910-2006
Title
Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland
Dates
2002 March 16
Quantity
.1 cubic feet, (3 audiocassettes (2 hr., 48 min., 45 sec.) + transcript (69 pages))
Collection Number
SR 1130-1
Summary
Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland conducted by Andrew Bryans on March 16, 2002, 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 there. 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.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland was conducted by Andrew Bryans on March 16, 2002. 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 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.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

Audio and transcript available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland, by Andrew Bryans, SR 1130-1, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright held by the Oregon Historical Society. License under: Creative Commons, BY-NC-SA: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Related Materials

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

Related Materials

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

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Cassette
1-3 Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 2002 March 16
Folder
SR1130-1 Transcript of oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland 2002 March 16

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Communists--United States
  • Depressions--1929--United States
  • Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
  • Labor unions--Oregon

Personal Names

  • Sweetland, Monroe, 1910-2006

Corporate Names

  • Democratic Party (Or.)
  • Oregon Commonwealth Federation
  • Socialist Party of the United States of America

Geographical Names

  • United States--Politics and government--20th century

Form or Genre Terms

  • interviews

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Bryans, Andrew Nils (interviewer)