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Mark O. Hatfield Senatorial papers, 1967-1997

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-2011; Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-2011
Title
Mark O. Hatfield Senatorial papers
Dates
1967-1997 (inclusive)
Quantity
1000 linear feet
Collection Number
WUA131.S
Summary
The Mark O. Hatfield papers house the personal and professional records of Senator Hatfield and document his long career in public service. They provide insight into Senator Hatfield's contributions to Oregon, the workings of the U.S. Senate, and issues of regional and national importance. Please note: portions of this collection are still being processed. The finding aid will be updated as materials are processed. Please contact the University Archivist (archives@willamette.edu) with any questions.
Repository
Willamette University Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Mark O. Hatfield Library
900 State Street
Salem, OR
97301
Telephone: 5033706866
Fax: 5033706141
archives@willamette.edu
Languages
English
Sponsor
Processing of this collection was generously supported with funds provided by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission's (NHPRC) Access to Historical Records grant; and the Institute of Museum and Library Services' Technology Act (LSTA) grant..
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Content Description

Please note: portions of this collection are still being processed. Work-to-date has focused on the Legislative, Media and Constituent Services sections. Work in these and the remaining sections is ongoing. As a result, gaps in subjects or date ranges currently exist, which will be filled in as processing and data entry continue. The finding aid will be updated as materials are processed. Please contact the University Archivist with any questions (archives@willamette.edu)

The Mark O. Hatfield Senatorial papers house the personal and professional records of Senator Hatfield. These materials document Hatfield's long career in public service and offer unique insights into his legislative priorities, various roles in Senate Committees, and contributions to the state of Oregon. The Senator's aides and staff maintained an integrated, topical filing system, and files often include related correspondence, memoranda, and gray literature. We have preserved original order wherever possible and hope this will offer additional insight into the day-to-day workings of the Senator's office.

The collection, which dates from 1967 to 1996, includes correspondence, speeches, floor statements, press releases, bill drafts, Senate Committee proceedings, gray literature, press clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, newsletters, memoranda, legislative summaries, Congressional Records and indexes, voting and attendance records, newspaper columns and op-eds written by Senator Hatfield, audiovisual and sound recordings, memorabilia, and artifacts.

The processing of this collection was generously funded by federal grants from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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Historical Note

Mark Odom Hatfield was born in Dallas, Oregon on July 12, 1922 and was the only child of Charles D. and Dovie Odom Hatfield. He graduated from Salem High School and earned his undergraduate degree at Willamette University in 1943. A Navy Officer during World War II, he witnessed battles at Iwo Jima and Okinawa and was among the first servicemen to enter Hiroshima after the atomic bombing. Following his time in Japan, Hatfield was assigned to aid French troops in Vietnam.

After the war, Hatfield attended Stanford University and received his master's degree in political science in 1949. He returned to Salem and became an associate professor in the politics department at Willamette (1949-1956). He also served as dean of students at Willamette University from 1950 to 1956. While still teaching, Hatfield became a member of the Oregon House of Representatives (1951-1955), then the state Senate in 1955. Hatfield won the election for Oregon Secretary of State in 1957, and two years later became Oregon's 29th governor. He is the youngest person to serve in either office. In 1962, he was reelected as governor, becoming the state's first two-term governor in the twentieth century.

Senator Hatfield was first elected to the United States Senate in 1966. He served as Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations from 1981-1987, and again from 1995-1997, and was a member of the subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary; Energy and Water Development; Interior; and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. This role enabled Senator Hatfield to direct critical funds to Oregon projects, public works, and constituents. Senator Hatfield also served on the Committee on Rules and Administration, the Joint Committee on Printing, the Joint Committee on the Library, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hatfield served five terms spanning 30 years in the U.S. Senate, becoming Oregon's longest-serving senator. His wartime experiences profoundly shaped his political views, and he was a vocal opponent of war and nuclear arms, an anti-abortion and anti-death penalty supporter, and an advocate for federal spending on medical research.

Senator Hatfield was also a prolific writer and author of Not Quite So Simple (1967), Conflict and Conscience (1971), Between a Rock and a Hard Place (1976), Against the Grain: Reflections of a Rebel Republican (2000), and co-author of Amnesty: The Unsettled Question of Vietnam (1976), The Causes of World Hunger (1982), Freeze! How You Can Help Prevent Nuclear War (1982), and What About the Russians? (1984).

Hatfield spent 46 years of his life in public service before retiring in 1997, having never lost an election during his long political career. He was the seventh most senior Senator and the second most senior Republican at the time of his retirement. He then resumed his teaching career, serving at Willamette University, Portland State University, and George Fox University. He held more than 80 honorary degrees.

Mark O. Hatfield died on August 7, 2011 at the age of 89. He was survived by his wife, the former Antoinette Kuzmanich, and their four children and seven grandchildren.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Collection is arranged into six series:

Series I: Legislative, 1968-1996. Arranged into six sections: Accomplishments and Activities, Committee Work, Reports and Summaries, Subject files, and Voting and Attendance records.

Series II: Constituent services, 1967-1996. Arranged into four sections: Form Letters, Correspondence, Grants and Projects, and Casework.

Series III: Media, 1922-1996. Arranged into seven sections: Newsletters, Photographs, Press clipplings, Press Releases, Speeches and Statements, Scrapbooks, and AudioVisual.

Series IV: Office administration. Includes office operations and procedures, and schedules.

Series V: Personal/political files. Includes campaign files, guest books, invitations, trip files, personal correspondence.

Series VI: Artifacts, memorabilia, and oversized materials"

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Rosie Yanosko and Susan Irwin.
2022

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