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Edith Green papers, 1955-1975

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Green, Edith, 1910-1987
Title
Edith Green papers
Dates
1955-1975 (inclusive)
Quantity
376.2 cubic feet, (379 boxes)
Collection Number
Mss 1424
Summary
This collection consists of papers compiled by Edith Green during her service as the Representative for the 3rd District of the State of Oregon in the United States House of Representatives (1955-1974), and includes correspondence, committee and subcommittee files, bills and hearings, and scrapbooks and reports. It represents Mrs. Green's active role in the Democratic Party, including support of presidential candidates John and Robert Kennedy, and her many years as a champion for education, civil rights, fair labor practices, and gender equity, and the important legislation that she shepherded through Congress.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public. Items with confidential or medical information about individuals other than Rep. Green have been indicated in the finding aid as materials which will require review and possible redaction before they are made available to researchers.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Edith Green served ten consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1955 to 1974, as the Representative for the 3rd District of the State of Oregon. Mrs. Green was born Edith Louise Starrett, January 17, 1910; her family moved to Oregon from South Dakota in 1916. She received her education in Salem schools, including two years at Willamette University. Financial hardship delayed completion of her degree, which she finally earned from the University of Oregon in 1939. A schoolteacher turned politician, Mrs. Green actively participated in Democratic Party politics. As chair of the Oregon delegation in 1960 and 1968, she fostered close ties to presidential candidates John and Robert Kennedy. Nevertheless, a strident independence and pragmatism characterized her political career, especially in her later years, and she did not hesitate to vote against her party or president. A strong advocate of education, civil rights, fair labor practices, and gender equity, Rep. Green served on the Committee on Education and Labor and other House committees and was appointed by Pres. Kennedy to the President's Commission on the Status of Women. She championed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and was instrumental in passing major education legislation, including the National Defense Education Act (1958), the Higher Education Facilities Act (1963), as well as the Higher Education Acts of 1965 and 1972 that included legislation enforcing gender equality in public education (Title IX). Upon her retirement from Congress, Mrs. Green resided in Portland where she taught government at Warner Pacific College. She also served on the Oregon Board of Higher Education. Edith Green died April 21, 1987.

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Content Description

The collection consists of documents from Edith Green's service in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 3rd District of the State of Oregon. This collection represents Mrs. Green's strong advocacy for education, civil rights, fair labor practices, and gender equity, as well as other issues of importance to her constituency in Oregon, documented by professional correspondence, legislative research, and documents from the committees on which she served, including the Committee on Education and Labor. Among her many accomplishments, she developed landmark legislation promoting gender equity in education with Rep. Patsy Mink. Edith Green was also an active member of the Democratic Party. Correspondents include William F. Gaul, Mark Hatfield, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Wayne Morse, Charles Porter, Terry Schrunk, Richard Neuberger, Walter Norblad, and Al Ullman.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.

Preferred Citation

Edith Green Papers, Mss 1424, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Documents are primarily arranged by acquisition, with original order preserved. Correspondence is roughly chronological. Most items are in folders, but folders are not numbered.

The following series have been identified:

  • Series A: Correspondence Files, 1955-1974
  • Series B: Committee and Subcommittee Files, 1955-1974
  • Series C: Bills and Hearings, 1955-1968
  • Series D: Scrapbooks and Reports, 1955-1975

Acquisition Information

The bulk of materials (boxes 1-372) came directly from Representative Edith Green's congressional office, Library Accession 12512, 1973 and 1975. Additional materials were donated posthumously, Library Accession 23836, 1998.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Civil rights--Law and legislation--United States
  • Democratic Party (U.S.)
  • Educational change--United States
  • Equal pay for equal work--Law and legislation--United States
  • Labor laws and legislation--United States
  • Sex discrimination against women --Law and legislation --United States
  • Sex discrimination in education--Government policy--United States
  • United States --Politics and government--20th century
  • Women in politics--Oregon
  • Women legislators--United States
  • Women's rights--United States

Personal Names

  • Schrunk, Terry D., 1913-1975
  • Green, Edith, 1910-1987--Archives (creator)
  • Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-
  • Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
  • Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968
  • Mink, Patsy T., 1927-2002
  • Morse, Wayne L. (Wayne Lyman), 1900-1974
  • Neuberger, Richard L. (Richard Lewis), 1912-1960
  • Norblad, Albin Walter, 1908-1964
  • Ullman, Al

Corporate Names

  • United States. Congress. House
  • United States. Congress. House. Committee on Education and Labor
  • United States. President's Commission on the Status of Women

Geographical Names

  • Oregon--Politics and government--1951-

Form or Genre Terms

  • Bills (legislative records)
  • Clippings
  • Congressional committee reports
  • Correspondence
  • Scrapbooks
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