Julius Meier speech written for Oregon Diamond Jubilee, 1934 June 6

The Oregon Diamond Jubilee celebration of June 1934 was held in Medford, Oregon, to celebrate Oregon's 75th year as a state. There were plans for Oregon's governor, Julius Meier, to lead a parade in Medford on June 7, 1934, and deliver a speech at the courthouse in Jacksonville, Oregon. However, Meier was forced to cancel his appearance on the evening of June 6 due to official business. It is likely that he never delivered the speech.

Julius Meier was born on December 31, 1874, in Portland, Oregon. His father, Aaron Meier, was a founder of the Meier & Frank department store. He studied law at the University of Oregon and practiced in Portland with George Joseph as his partner. In 1910, he became the general manager of Meier & Frank.

In 1930, following the death of his friend Joseph, who was the Republican candidate for governor of Oregon, Meier was approached about running in Joseph's place. Meier initially declined, but later decided to run. Because the Republican Central Committee had decided to support Phil Metschan, Meier ran as an Independent. In spite of the state's major newspapers opposing his candidacy, Meier won the election with more votes than Metschan or Democratic candidate Ed F. Murphy combined. Meier did not seek a second term in 1934 for health reasons, and retired to his property at Menucha in the Columbia River Gorge, where he died in July 1937.