Oral history interview with Herman P. Hendershott [Sound Recording 13]

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SR1145_T07S1

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Oral history interview with Herman P. Hendershott [Sound Recording 13]

Date(s)

  • 1994-01-13 (Creation)

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Audiocassette; 00:30:25

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Biographical history

Herman Phipps Hendershott was born in Eugene, Oregon, in 1913. He earned a law degree from the University of Oregon in 1936. After passing the Oregon bar, he served as Hood River County district attorney. He returned to Eugene in 1938 to open his own law firm. He and Florence E. Toman were married that same year; they had three children and divorced 10 years later. Hendershott served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II, from 1939 to 1945. He was a Republican politician and represented Lane County in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949. In 1949, he and Flora Mae Redwine were married; they later had two children. Hendershott served as Eugene city attorney from 1959 to 1971. He died in 2007.

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Tape 7, Side 1. This oral history interview with Herman P. Hendershott was conducted by Clark Hansen at Hendershott’s home in Eugene, Oregon, from November 16, 1993, to January 13, 1994. In this interview, Hendershott discusses his family background and early life in Eugene, including his social life, his memories of Armistice Day in 1918, and his interest in skiing. He also talks about his memories of the 1929 stock market crash and the Depression that followed. He talks about attending the University of Oregon from 1931 to 1936, including a description of the campus and his professors. He then discusses serving as district attorney for Hood River County from 1936 to 1938, and practicing law in Eugene, including judges he argued before and some of the cases he handled. He also talks about other lawyers that he admired. He describes his experience serving in Europe in the U.S. Army during World War II. He speaks briefly about his two marriages and his family life. Hendershott discusses his involvement with the Republican Party and his service in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949. He talks about his campaign; the 1947 plane crash that killed the governor, the secretary of state, and the president of the Senate; and juggling his service in the Legislature with his family life and his law practice. He talks about his committee assignments, legislation he worked on, and some of his fellow legislators. He discusses some of the issues that were important during his time in the Legislature, including taxes and public utilities. Hedershott discusses his activities since leaving the Legislature. He talks about serving as city attorney for Eugene from 1959 to 1971; Martin Luther King Day celebrations and the black community; and hosting foreign exchange students. He speaks about his law practice, including arguing cases and the changes in the court system. He discusses traveling in Europe, in the Middle East, and in Asia. He talks about his children, their families, and their careers. He closes the interview by revisiting the topic of his family background and legal career.

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Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following license: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

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  • English

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