Collection is open for research.
Gift of Katy Eymann, October 2023 (RL2023-063).
William Chapman "Bill" Bradbury III was born in 1949 in Chicago, Illinois. When he was 9 years old, both of his parents died in a car accident, after which he lived with his aunt and uncle in Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Chicago and Antioch College. From 1969 to 1995, he worked as a television reporter, director, anchor, and producer.
Bradbury was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1980, and to the Oregon Senate in 1984, representing the state's southern coastal districts. He was Senate majority leader in 1986, and Senate president in 1993. He retired from the Senate in 1995 to direct the organization For the Sake of the Salmon. In 1999, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber appointed Bradbury as secretary of state, a position he held until 2009. As secretary of state, Bradbury implemented Oregon's vote-by-mail system. Bradbury ran for U.S. Senate in 2002 and for Oregon governor in 2010, both times unsuccessfully.
Bradbury was known for his activism on environmental issues, and his concern for fish conservation earned him the nickname "Mr. Fish." Early in his political career, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Bradbury died in April 2023, while on a cruise with his wife of 36 years, Katy Eymann.
Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, 1984-2023; article in the Eugene Register-Guard, November 7, 1999.
Bill Bradbury memorabilia, Coll 984, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
The collection consists of memorabilia relating to the life and career of Oregon legislator and secretary of state Bill Bradbury. Materials relating to Bradley's childhood include personal and family photographs, an article and memorial service program relating to his parents' deaths, an interview he did for his high school newspaper, and an article about an alternative newspaper he helped to produce in high school. Materials relating to Bradbury's political career include photographs; posters, flyers, newsletters, and a pamphlet from election campaigns; itineraries and an event invitation from his 2002 campaign for the U.S. Senate; and a poster for a 2010 talk he gave about climate change. Other materials in the collection include photographs of Bradbury and Betsy Harrison at a restaurant they owned in the early 1970s; materials relating to Bradbury's work in television in the 1970s; a publication about an Oregon Peace Officers Association conference where Bradbury gave the keynote speech; photographs of Bradbury and his family with Bill Clinton; a sketch of Bradbury speaking in the Oregon Legislature; a cartoon of Bradbury with inscriptions for his birthday; a photo flipbook; and his memorial service program.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.