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Oral history interview with Edith Green, 1978 December 18
Overview of the Collection
- Interviewee
- Green, Edith, 1910-1987
- Title
- Oral history interview with Edith Green
- Dates
- 1978 December 181978-12-181978-12-18
- Quantity
- .1 cubic feet, (1 audiocassette (59 min., 15 sec.) + transcript (23 pages))
- Collection Number
- SR 9036
- Summary
- Oral history interview with Edith Green conducted by Cynthia Harrison on December 18, 1978. Green represented Oregon's 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1955 to 1974.
- 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
Edith Louise Starrett Green was born in South Dakota in 1910. Her family moved to Oregon in 1916. She attended Willamette University for two years, but was unable to graduate due to financial hardship. She completed her degree at the University of Oregon in 1939. A schoolteacher turned politician, Green actively participated in Democratic Party politics. She represented Oregon's 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1955 to 1974. She chaired the Oregon delegation to the Democratic National Conventions in 1960 and 1968. Green served on the Committee on Education and Labor and other House committees, and was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to the President's Commission on the Status of Women. She championed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and was instrumental in passing major education legislation, including the National Defense Education Act (1958), the Higher Education Facilities Act (1963), and the Higher Education Acts of 1965 and 1972 that included legislation enforcing gender equality in public education (Title IX). Upon her retirement from Congress, she taught government at Warner Pacific College in Portland. She also served on the Oregon Board of Higher Education. Green died in 1987.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This oral history interview with Edith Green was conducted by Cynthia Harrison in Portland, Oregon, on December 18, 1978. A transcript of the interview is included in the collection. In this interview, Green discusses her legislative record on women's rights, including the equal pay act of 1963, Title IX, and the Equal Rights Amendment. She speaks about the opposition such legislation faced and how public opinion regarding women's rights has changed over time. She also discusses serving on the Commission on the Status of Women and the report that commission produced. She talks about her impression of the respect for women held by presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. She discusses her efforts toward greater access to loans for higher education and the way that has helped foster the progress of women's rights. She closes the interview by discussing her effort to open the Job Corps program to women.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
Audio and transcript available online in OHS Digital Collections.
Preferred Citation
Oral history interview with Edith Green, by Cynthia Harrison, SR 9036, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following license: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Educational law and legislation
- Equal pay for equal work--Law and legislation
- Equal rights amendments--United States
- Legislators--United States
- Sex discrimination against women
- Women legislators--United States
- Women politicians--United States
- Women's rights--United States
Personal Names
- Green, Edith, 1910-1987
Corporate Names
- United States. Congress. House
- United States. President's Commission on the Status of Women
Geographical Names
- United States--Politics and government--20th century
Form or Genre Terms
- interviews
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Harrison, Cynthia Ellen (interviewer)