Forms part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series.
Collection is open for research.
George Frank Wingard, Jr. was born in Amboy, Washington, in 1935. His family moved to Lakeview, Oregon, in the early 1940s. He attended the University of Oregon for a few years, then transferred to Oregon State College (now Oregon State University). He earned a degree in production technology in 1958. He and Rhea Henault were married in 1960; they later had three children. Wingard began his own construction business at age 25. He served on the Eugene City Council from 1967 to 1969. He was a Republican politician and represented Lane County in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1969 to 1970. He then served in the Oregon Senate from 1971 to 1982. He ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 1980, and again in 1992.
Forms part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series.
Handwritten index (38 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Oral history interview with George F. Wingard, by Clark Hansen, SR 1144, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
This oral history interview with George F. Wingard was conducted by Clark Hansen at Wingard's home in Eugene, Oregon, from November 16 to December 9, 1993. Wingard's dog was present and is audible throughout the interview. In this interview, Wingard discusses his family background and early life in Lakeview, Oregon, including his early education. He talks about witnessing his father's death from a heart attack in 1949. He talks about studying pre-med at the University of Oregon and transferring to Oregon State College (now Oregon State University) to study engineering. He discusses his learning disability and his struggle with his studies. He discusses his marriage to Rhea Henault. Wingard then speaks at length about running a construction business in Eugene in the 1960s.
Wingard discusses his involvement with the Republican Party and his political career. He talks about serving on the Eugene City Council from 1967 to 1969, including his campaign and working on transportation issues. He talks about his service in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1969 to 1970. He discusses his campaign, his fellow legislators, his committee assignments, and some of the legislation he worked on. He also talks about working with Governor Tom McCall's administration. He speaks at length about his opinions on issues such as abortion, field burning, and nuclear power. Wingard discusses serving in the Oregon Senate from 1971 to 1982. He talks about electing Senate presidents, his committee assignments, and his fellow legislators. He discusses legislation that came up, particularly the Bottle Bill and bills on nuclear power and land use planning. He also talks about his opposition to the lottery; his views on the criminal justice system; and the creation of single-member districts and how that affected the make-up of the Legislature. He speaks at length about the many pieces of legislation he introduced. Wingard discusses his unsuccessful 1980 campaign for state treasurer and his 1982 re-election loss.
Wingard discusses his activities since leaving the Legislature. He talks about his unsuccessful campaign for state treasurer in 1992. He closes the interview by talking about the Oregon legislative delegation of 1993.
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following license: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA: