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Title
Oral history interview with John L. Schwabe [Transcript]
Date(s)
- 1993-11-30 – 1993-12-06 (Creation)
Extent
Transcript; 102 pages
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Biographical history
John Leonard Schwabe was born in Nowata, Oklahoma, in 1919. He earned a degree in pre-law from Oklahoma State University in 1941. He then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Pacific theater during World War II. Before he shipped out in 1942, he and Jean Cooley were married; they later had four children. After his discharge in 1945, he studied law at Ohio State University, earning a law degree in 1948. He then practiced law in Silverton, Oregon, before coming to Portland in 1952. He became a partner in the Portland law firm Schwabe, Williamson and Wyatt. He met Jimmy Carter when Carter was a Georgia state senator, and they became life-long friends. Schwabe died in 2011.
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Scope and content
Transcript. This oral history interview with John L. Schwabe was conducted by Alyson Gilbertson at the offices of Schwabe, Williamson, and Wyatt in Portland, Oregon, from November 30 to December 6, 1993, as part of the United States District Court Oral History Project. The interview was conducted in two sessions. In the first session, conducted on November 30, 1993, Schwabe discusses his family background and early life in Oklahoma. He shares his memories of racism and anti-Semitism in Tulsa, Oklahoma, including the aftermath of the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921. He talks about his interest in wildlife, his education, and working on the family farm. He also describes his memories of the Depression and the Dust Bowl drought. He then talks about his experience at Oklahoma A & M, now known as Oklahoma State University, including his involvement in student government, his mother’s death, and his social life. He talks about his marriage to Jean Cooley. He speaks at length about his experience in the Marine Corps in the Pacific theater during World War II. In the second session, conducted on December 6, 1993, Schwabe discusses his activities after his discharge from the Marine Corps in 1944, including his honeymoon, starting a family, and studying law at Ohio State University. He talks about the jobs he worked during law school, some of his professors, and some of his classes. He then discusses his brief return to the Marine Corps after graduation, moving to Oregon, and working as a lawyer in Salem and Silverton. He closes the interview by talking about cases he worked on and houses he lived in.
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Joint copyright is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the U.S. District Court of Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/.
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- English
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- Gilbertson, Alyson (Contributor)