Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Series
Title
Oral history interview with Walter H. Evans, III
Date(s)
- 1988-06-06 - 1988-06-09 (Creation)
Extent
.1 cubic feet; 8 audiocassettes (6 hr., 17 min., 59 sec.)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Walter Howard Evans, III, was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1941. He attended the University of Oregon, graduating in 1963. He then attended Willamette University College of Law. After earning his law degree in 1967, he clerked for Chief Justice William Perry of the Oregon Supreme Court. He later helped to create the Oregon Court of Appeals. He was a legislative aide, press aide, and legal counsel for U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield beginning in 1969. Evans was later an attorney at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt. He died in 2017.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
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.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
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/
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Walter H. Evans, III, by James Strassmaier, SR 1323, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
General note
Forms part of the Senator Mark O. Hatfield Oral History Project.
General note
Incomplete transcript (151 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
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
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Strassmaier, James (Contributor)
- Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-2011 (Subject)