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Oral history interview with Helen W. Stone, 1978 October 26

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Stone, Helen W. (Helen West), 1902-1986
Title
Oral history interview with Helen W. Stone
Dates
1978 October 26
Quantity
0.1 cubic feet, (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 4 min., 20 sec.) + transcript (26 pages))
Collection Number
SR 9508
Summary
Oral history interview with Helen W. Stone conducted by Deborah M. Frosaker on October 26, 1978. Stone discusses the legal and political career of her father, Oswald West, who served as governor of Oregon.
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.
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Biographical Note

Helen West Stone, nee West, was born in Astoria, Oregon, in 1902. Her family soon moved to Salem, where her father, Oswald West, worked as a lawyer and later served as governor of Oregon. After Oswald West left office in 1915, the family moved to Portland. In 1924, Helen West earned a bachelor's degree from Mills College in Oakland, California. In 1925, she and Ellery Wheeler Stone were married; they later had two children. She worked as a real estate agent in Portland, and served on the Oregon Real Estate Board and the Portland Board of Realtors. She died in 1986.

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Content Description

This oral history interview with Helen W. Stone was conducted by Deborah M. Frosaker at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on October 26, 1978, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library. In addition to the audio recording of the interview, a transcript is available.

In this interview, Stone discusses the legal and political career of her father, Oswald West, and shares her experiences as the daughter of a governor. She discusses Oswald West's involvement in the operations of the Oregon penitentiary and talks about his reputation for theatrics. She describes the family summer home in Cannon Beach. She closes the interview by discussing Oswald West's affiliation with the Democratic Party.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Audio and transcript available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with Helen W. Stone, by Deborah M. Frosaker, SR 9508, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Helen W. Stone. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

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Administrative Information

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Governors--Oregon

Personal Names

  • Stone, Helen W. (Helen West), 1902-1986
  • West, Oswald, 1873-1960

Geographical Names

  • Oregon--Politics and government--20th century

Form or Genre Terms

  • interviews
  • oral histories (literary genre)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Frosaker, Deborah M., 1953- (interviewer)
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