Series

Oral history interview with Walter H. Evans, III

• 1988-06-06 - 1988-06-09 (Creation)

.1 cubic feet; 8 audiocassettes (6 hr., 17 min., 59 sec.)

This oral history interview with Walter H. Evans, III, was conducted by Jim Strassmaier in Washington, D.C., from June 6-9, 1988. The audio is incomplete; Tape 3 was discovered to be blank in 2020. That portion of the interview is reflected in an incomplete transcript.

In this interview, Evans discusses his family background and early life in Portland, Oregon, including his early political beliefs. He speaks briefly about attending the University of Oregon and the Willamette University College of Law, then talks about working as a law clerk for Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice William Perry, as well as his role in the creation of the Oregon Court of Appeals. He also talks about his friendship with Gerry Frank and becoming part of U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield's staff. He describes his duties as a legislative aide, then a press aide, and as legal counsel to Hatfield. He talks about other members of Hatfield's staff; Hatfield's relationship with other senators; and Hatfield's opposition to the Vietnam War. He discusses legislation that Hatfield worked on, Hatfield's 1972 re-election campaign, and Hatfield's relationship with Oregon Governor Tom McCall and U.S. Senator Bob Packwood. He discusses appointments to federal offices in Oregon made during Hatfield's tenure and talks about communicating with the press. He also speaks further about Hatfield's opposition to the Vietnam War, and talks about Hatfield's handling of the Watergate scandal. Evans closes the interview by discussing Hatfield's home and family life.

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

• English

Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Walter H. Evans, III, by James Strassmaier, SR 1323, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Forms part of the Senator Mark O. Hatfield Oral History Project.

Incomplete transcript (151 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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

Sarah Stroman

• Oregon--Politics and government--20th century
• United States--Politics and government--20th century
• Law clerks--Oregon
• Legislation--United States
• Political campaigns--Oregon
• Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion

• Strassmaier, James (Contributor)
• Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-2011 (Subject)

• Interviews