Forms part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series.
Collection is open for research.
Vera Miles Springer, nee Vera Miles, was born near Corvallis, Oregon, in 1922. She attended business college in Portland, and in 1940, she married Joshua Samuel "Sam Springer. The couple later had two children. During World War II, Vera Springer worked in the Kaiser shipyards in Portland and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. After the war, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, she attended classes at Reed College while raising her children. She was active in the Oregon Democratic Party, and from 1954 to 1966, she worked for U.S. Senator Richard Neuberger and then for U.S. Senator Maurine Neuberger, who won her husband's seat after his death. Springer was later a writer and editor for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Bonneville Power Administration. After she retired, she volunteered for the Oregon Environmental Council, and in 1976, she was appointed to the Willamette River Greenway Commission by Governor Bob Straub. She died in 2012.
Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Springer in her interview; Springer's obituary in the Oregonian, November 25, 2012.
A typescript index (24 pages) and an incomplete transcript (47 pages) are available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Forms part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series.
Oral history interview with Vera M. Springer, by Mary Mead, SR 1105, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
This oral history interview with Vera M. Springer was conducted by Mary Mead in seven sessions, from August 9 to September 20, 1990, at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon. The interview was conducted as part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series, a project focused on people involved in Oregon government.
In sessions 1 through 5 of this interview, Springer discusses her family background and early life on a farm north of Corvallis, Oregon, and describes how she became an aide for U.S. Senator Dick Neuberger. She speaks at length about the work she did during his 1954 campaign, and about his term in the U.S. Senate from 1955 until his death in 1960. She talks about members of his staff, including Hans Linde; and discusses the work she did as a receptionist in Washington, D.C., and as manager of the senator's Oregon office. She discusses legislation the senator worked on, especially bills regarding forest management and environmental conservation, and focuses particularly on a bill to protect the area that later became the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. She also talks about Neuberger's relationship with U.S. Senator Wayne Morse. She discusses Dick Neuberger's death during his re-election campaign in 1960.
In sessions 6 and 7 of this interview, Springer describes the memorial service for Dick Neuberger, then discusses the campaign of Maurine Neuberger, an Oregon legislator and the wife of Dick Neuberger, for the U.S. Senate in 1960. Springer speaks about continuing to manage the Oregon office for Maurine Neuberger from 1961 to 1966. Springer talks about legislation Senator Maurine Neuberger worked on, including her continuation of Dick Neuberger's work on a bill to protect the Oregon Dunes area. She speaks at length about her experience accompanying the senator on a tour of Oregon with President John F. Kennedy. She talks about Maurine Neuberger's activities after leaving the Senate in 1966, and reflects on the Neubergers' accomplishments in the Senate, particularly in the area of environmental protection.
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA,
Tape 1, Side 1 through Tape 2, Side 1. In the first interview session, conducted on August 9, 1990, Springer discusses her family background and early life on a farm north of Corvallis, Oregon, including her family's experience during the Depression. She talks about her early political beliefs, about attending business school in Portland, and about serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. She also talks about her marriage to Sam Springer. She shares her experience raising a family while attending Reed College during the late 1940s and early 1950s. She describes how she became an aide for U.S. Senator Dick Neuberger and speaks about the work she did during his 1954 campaign, including working with the press.
Tape 2, Side 2, through Tape 3, Side 1. In the second interview session, conducted on August 16, 1990, Springer continues to discuss her work for U.S. Senator Dick Neuberger during his 1954 campaign. She talks about her family life while working on the campaign, about Neuberger's position on several environmental issues, and about sending out press releases. She discusses how Dick and Maurine Neuberger worked together. She speaks about the results of the 1954 election, and about Dick Neuberger's tenure as a U.S. senator from 1955 until his death in 1960. She describes Neuberger's first offices in Washington, D.C.
Tape 3, Side 2, through Tape 4, Side 2. In the third interview session, conducted on August 23, 1990, Springer continues to discuss Dick Neuberger's work as a U.S. senator. She talks about members of his staff, including Hans Linde; discusses Neuberger's adjustment from the Oregon State Senate to the U.S. Senate; and speaks about legislation Neuberger worked on, including bills on animal cruelty and protection for Hells Canyon. She speaks extensively about her work as receptionist for the senator, and talks about her family life during the late 1950s. She shares how she became manager of Neuberger's Oregon office. She speaks in detail about the relationship that Dick and Maurine Neuberger had with their staff members.
Tape 5, Side 1, through Tape 6, Side 1. In the fourth interview session, conducted on August 30, 1990, Springer discusses managing U.S. Senator Dick Neuberger's Oregon office from 1956 to 1960. She talks about the staff at the Oregon office, and about how the Oregon and Washington, D.C., offices differed. She discusses legislation Neuberger worked on, particularly bills regarding forest management and environmental conservation; talks about his role in negotiating the Columbia River Treaty; and speaks about his relationship with U.S. Senator Wayne Morse. She also discusses the cancer treatment Neuberger underwent, beginning in 1958.
Tape 6, Side 2. In the fifth interview session, conducted on September 6, 1990, Springer continues to discuss managing U.S. Senator Dick Neuberger's Oregon office from 1956 to 1960. She speaks further about the senator's work on legislation regarding forest management and environmental conservation, particularly a bill to protect what later became the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. She talks about Dick Neuberger's death during his re-election campaign in 1960.
Tape 7, Side 1, through Tape 8, Side 2. In the sixth interview session, conducted on September 15, 1990, Springer discusses the memorial service for Dick Neuberger, and talks about Oregon Governor Mark Hatfield's appointment of Hall Stoner Lusk to Neuberger's vacant Senate seat. She discusses Maurine Neuberger's campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1960, and continuing to manage the Oregon office for Maurine Neuberger during her term in the Senate from 1961 to 1966. Springer talks about legislation Maurine Neuberger worked on, shares her memories of the 1962 Columbus Day storm, and discusses Maurine Neuberger's continuation of Dick Neuberger's work on a bill to protect the Oregon Dunes area. She also talks about the senator's other legislative work, including consumer protection regulations. She speaks at length about her experience accompanying the senator on a tour of Oregon with President John F. Kennedy. She discusses legislation the senator worked on during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Tape 9, Side 1, through Tape 10, Side 1. In the seventh and final interview session, conducted on September 20, 1990, Springer discusses U.S. Senator Maurine Neuberger's position on the Vietnam War. She speaks further about the senator's bill to protect the Oregon Dunes area. She talks about Maurine Neuberger's activities after leaving the Senate in 1966, and reflects on the accomplishments of both Dick and Maurine Neuberger in the Senate, particularly in the area of environmental protection. Springer then talks about her work as a writer and editor for the Bonneville Power Administration, and about the lives and careers of her children. She closes the interview by speculating about how Dick Neuberger would feel about environmental and political issues at the time of the interview.