Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Oral history interview with Claire Argow
Date(s)
- 1977-11-28 - 1977-12-02 (Creation)
Extent
.1 cubic feet; 2 audiocassettes (2 hr., 9 min., 53 sec.)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Claire Angevin Argow, nee Claire Ferisse Angevin, was born in Lloyd, New York, in 1903, and grew up in Boston. She earned a bachelor's degree from Vassar College in New York, and a master's degree from the Simmons School of Social Work in Boston. She attended Yale, where she was one of the first three women to earn a law degree there. She worked as a social worker in New England, as assistant director for the Survey of Connecticut Prisons, and with the National Society for the Prevention of Crime in New York City. In 1935, she and Walter W. Argow were married; they later had one child. The couple lived in Florida for a few years, and then relocated to Oregon in 1945. Argow soon became the executive director of the Oregon Prison Association, and she worked towards many prison reforms in the state. She died in 1997.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This oral history interview with Claire Argow was conducted by Roberta Watts at Argow's home in Portland, Oregon, from November 28 to December 2, 1977. The interview was conducted in two sessions.
In the first interview session, conducted on November 28, 1977, Argow discusses her education and career in social work and criminology in New England, including her college experiences at Vassar and at Yale Law School, her work as assistant director for the Survey of Connecticut Prisons, and her work with the National Society for the Prevention of Crime in New York City. She talks about her views on capital punishment and about working with prisoners who were executed. She discusses her work with the Oregon Prison Association, and talks about prison conditions when she started in 1945, her successes in prison reforms, and opposition she faced.
In the second interview session, conducted on December 2, 1977, Argow talks about moving to Oregon in 1945 and shares her early impressions of the state, particularly regarding racism in Oregon. She discusses her work with Oregon Literacy, which helps adults learn to read and write, as well as learn English as a second language. She talks about her involvement in the creation of the Claire Argow Center, also known as the Multnomah County Women's Jail. She discusses the rising crime rate at the time of the interview in 1977, particularly among women. She closes the interview by speaking about her belief in restorative justice rather than only punitive approaches.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: 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
Claire Angevin Argow photographs collection, Org. Lot 401, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Claire Argow, by Roberta Watts, SR 9090, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
General note
Incomplete transcript (43 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
- Watts, Roberta (Contributor)
- Oregon Prison Association (Subject)