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Oswald West papers, 1856-1960

Overview of the Collection

Creator
West, Oswald, 1873-1960
Title
Oswald West papers
Dates
1856-1960 (inclusive)
1895-1960 (bulk)
Quantity
1.8 cubic feet, (4 document cases, 1 oversize folder in shared box)
Collection Number
Mss 589
Summary
Papers of Oswald West include a small amount of correspondence and other papers from his term as Oregon governor, 1911-1915, and materials relating to his research and writing of political and historical articles, 1942-1960. Included is correspondence with prominent Oregonians and other political figures, such as James A. Farley, Wayne Morse, and Richard L. Neuberger.
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
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Biographical Note

Oregon's fourteenth governor, Oswald West, was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, in 1873, and came to Oregon with his family in 1877. His father was a cattle dealer who took his son on travels throughout the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon. Oswald West worked as a clerk and teller for the Ladd and Bush bank of Salem, and later the First National Bank of Astoria. In 1897, he married Mabel Hutton of Salem, and the couple had three children. West served as a state land agent in Salem from 1903-1907, and he helped to recover hundreds of thousands of acres of property that had been illegally taken from the state. When Oregon created the State Railroad Commission in 1907, West was appointed to that body by Governor Chamberlain, and he served until 1910. That year, he was elected governor of Oregon. During his term in office, he championed progressive legislation and gained nationwide notoriety for his efforts to close saloons and vice establishments in the town of Copperfield in 1913. After leaving office in 1915, West operated a private law practice and wrote extensively on Oregon politics and history.

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Content Description

This collection of Oswald West's papers contains a small amount of material relating to his term as Oregon governor, 1911-1915; general personal correspondence from 1940 to 1960; and clippings, documents, ephemera, and other materials documenting West's career, Oregon history, and political and personal matters. Letters include correspondence with or about Oregon governors, including George E. Chamberlain, Mark O. Hatfield, Charles H. Martin, Douglas McKay, Ben W. Olcott, Paul L. Patterson, Walter M. Pierce, Elmo Smith, Earl Snell, and Charles A. Sprague. Also included is correspondence with various national, state, and local political and civic leaders, writers and educators, including: Homer D. Angell, Clyde B. Atchison, Curt Brown Barker, Orson R. Bean, R. A. Booth, William A. Bowes, Ralph L. Carr, Marshall N. Dana, Stanley W. Earl, James A. Farley, Guy Gordon, Ernest Haycox, Rufus Holman, Ben Hur Lampman, Dorothy McCullough Lee, Tom Mahoney, Tom McCall, Charles A. Moores, Wayne Morse, Maurine Neuberger and Richard L. Neuberger, Frank Branch Riley, Robert W. Sawyer, Leslie W. Scott, Omar C. Spencer, A. L. Strand, Robert Y. Thornton, and William S. U'Ren.

Materials in the collection that relate to West's research and writing include correspondence with the Oregon Historical Society and various state agencies; correspondence and other materials about the Columbia Valley Authority and other reclamation and dam projects; a report on the Oregon workmen's compensation law; and clippings and other data on various subjects.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Oswald West papers, Mss 589, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

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.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series:

  • Series 1: Correspondence, 1856-1960
  • Series 2: Writings by and about West, 1893-1959
  • Series 3: General files and clippings, 1893-1957

Acquisition Information

Gifts of Reed College, via Dorothy O. Johansen, February 1973 (Lib. Acc. 12482) and via Becky Pollack, March 1972 (Lib. Acc. 12189).

Related Materials

A collection of Oswald West's papers, Ax 174, is held at the University of Oregon Library Special Collections and University Archives, Eugene, Oregon.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Governors--Oregon
  • History--Research--Oregon
  • Reclamation of land--Oregon--History
  • Workers' compensation--Law and legislation--Oregon--History

Personal Names

  • West, Oswald, 1873-1960--Correspondence

Corporate Names

  • Columbia Valley Authority

Geographical Names

  • Oregon--History
  • Oregon--Politics and government--1859-1950

Form or Genre Terms

  • clippings (information artifacts)
  • correspondence

Geoffrey B. Wexler
2006; revised 2024

CC0

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