Oral history interview with Abbot L. Mills, Jr., 1977 July 15
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Interviewee
- Mills, Abbot Low, 1898-1986
- Title
- Oral history interview with Abbot L. Mills, Jr.
- Dates
- 1977 July 151977-07-151977-07-15
- Quantity
- 0.1 cubic feet, (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 4 min., 46 sec.))
- Collection Number
- SR 9566
- Summary
- Oral history interview with Abbot L. Mills, Jr., conducted by Charles Digregorio on July 15, 1977. Mills discusses his banking career and that of his father, Abbot Low Mills.
- 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
- Digitization funded by the James F. Miller Endowment.
Biographical Note
Abbot Low Mills, Jr., was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1898. In 1921, he earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University. The next year, he began working as a messenger for the First National Bank of Portland, where his father was president. In 1924, he and Katherine Ainsworth were married; they later had four children. In 1933, he became assistant president, and later vice president, of the United States National Bank of Portland, which later became U.S. National Bank of Oregon. In 1952, President Harry S. Truman appointed him to the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System. He served on the board until 1968, then returned to Oregon. He died in 1986.
Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com.
Other Descriptive Information
An incomplete transcript (16 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Content Description
This oral history interview with Abbot L. Mills, Jr., was conducted by Charles Digregorio at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on July 15, 1977, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library.
In this interview, Mills discusses his family background and speaks at length about the life and banking career of his father, Abbot Low Mills, who later became the president of the First National Bank of Portland. He discusses his early life in the Couch Addition area of Portland, which is now part of the Nob Hill neighborhood, and talks about families who lived in the neighborhood. He also talks about the Ainsworth family background of his wife, Katherine Mills. He describes how he came to work at the First National Bank of Portland in 1922, and talks about his career in banking there and at the United States National Bank of Portland.
Use of the Collection
Alternative Forms Available
Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.
Preferred Citation
Oral history interview with Abbot L. Mills, Jr., by Charles Digregorio, SR 9566, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Abbot L. Mills, Jr. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/
Administrative Information
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Bankers--Oregon--Portland
- Banks and banking--Oregon--Portland
- Neighborhoods--Oregon--Portland
Personal Names
- Mills, Abbot Low, 1858-1927
- Mills, Abbot Low, 1898-1986
Corporate Names
- First National Bank of Portland (Portland, Or.)
- United States National Bank of Portland (Or.)
Geographical Names
- Nob Hill (Portland, Or.)--20th century
Form or Genre Terms
- interviews
- oral histories (literary works)
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Digregorio, Charles (interviewer)
