Oral history interview with Herbert M. Schwab

Oral history interview with Herbert M. Schwab [Sound Recording 01] Oral history interview with Herbert M. Schwab [Sound Recording 02] Oral history interview with Herbert M. Schwab [Sound Recording 03] Oral history interview with Herbert M. Schwab [Sound Recording 04] Oral history interview with Herbert M. Schwab [Transcript]

Identity elements

Reference code

SR 1244

Name and location of repository

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Series

Title

Oral history interview with Herbert M. Schwab

Date(s)

  • 1994-07-17 (Creation)

Extent

.1 cubic feet 2 audiocassettes (2 hr., 35 min., 5 sec.)

Name of creator

Schwab, Herbert M., 1915-2005

Biographical history

Herbert M. Schwab was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1915. He graduated from Northwestern College of Law in 1935. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves in India during World War II, from 1941 to 1946. In 1946, he and Barbara Hervin Meyer were married; they later had one child. After his discharge in 1946, he returned to Portland and practiced law from 1947 until 1959, when he was appointed to the Multnomah County Circuit Court. He also served on the Portland School Board from 1950 to 1959. In 1965 and 1966, Schwab sat as a temporary Oregon Supreme Court justice. He returned to private practice from 1966 until 1969, when he played a key role in establishing the Oregon Court of Appeals. He served as the court's first chief judge until he retired in 1980. He later served on the Northwest Power Planning Council, and served as mayor of Cannon Beach. He died in 2005.

Name of creator

Beatty, John Cabeen, 1919-
(1919-2016)

Biographical history

John "Jack" Cabeen Beatty, Jr. was born in Washington, D.C., in 1919. His family moved to the Dunthorpe neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, in 1920. He attended Princeton University and graduated in 1941. He served as an artilleryman in the U.S. Army in the European Theater during World War II. In 1943, he and Clarissa Hagar were married; they later had two children. He earned a law degree from Columbia University Law School in 1948. He and his family then returned to Oregon, and he worked as a trial lawyer in Portland from 1948 to 1970. He was appointed as a judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court in 1970 by Governor Tom McCall, and took senior status in 1984. He also served on the boards of Portland Public Schools and the Oregon Historical Society. Clarissa Beatty died in 1996, and he and Virginia Rupp were married the following year. In his later years, he was also an author and published several novels, including his autobiography. He died in 2016.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

This oral history interview with Herbert M. Schwab was conducted by John C. Beatty on January 17, 1994. In this interview, Schwab discusses his early life in Portland, Oregon. He discusses his early jobs and attending Northwestern College of Law. He also talks about his service in the U.S. Army Reserves in India during World War II under General George E. Stratemeyer. He then talks about practicing law in Portland from 1947 to 1959. He briefly discusses his other activities during that time, including serving on the Portland School Board. He talks about serving on the Multnomah County Circuit Court and the Oregon Court of Appeals. He briefly describes his fellow judges. He goes on to talk about his activities since his retirement in 1980, including serving on the Northwest Power Planning Council and as mayor of Cannon Beach. He closes the interview by talking about Governor Bob Straub, Monroe Sweetland, Dorothy McCullough Lee and Dick Neuberger.

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Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

Joint copyright 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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Languages of the material

  • English

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Notes element

General note

Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Herbert M. Schwab, by John C. Beatty, SR 1244, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

General note

Forms part of the United States District Court Oral History Project.

General note

Incomplete transcript (66 pages) and handwritten index (9 pages) are available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Description control element

Rules or conventions

Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition.

Sources used

Archivist's note

Sarah Stroman

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