McCall, Tom, 1913-1983
Biography
Thomas William Lawson McCall, commonly known as Tom McCall, was born in Egypt, Massachusetts, the son of Henry McCall and Dorothy Lawson McCall. McCall grew up on a ranch near Prineville, Oregon. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1936 with a degree in journalism, and subsequently worked as a sportswriter in Idaho, as a reporter for the Oregonian newspaper in Portland, Oregon, and as a radio news announcer for KGW in Portland, before serving in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he hosted his own radio news show on KEX in Portland.
In 1949, McCall entered politics by working as a secretary for Oregon Governor Douglas McKay. He unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican in 1954, losing to Democrat Edith Green. He then returned to broadcasting, now working as a television commentator and documentary producer for KGW-TV in Portland. In 1964, McCall successfully ran for Oregon secretary of state, and two years later was elected governor of Oregon. He was reelected in 1970.
As governor, McCall was noted for activism in environmental and conservation legislation. He supported the protection of Oregon's beaches; established the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality; led the successful fight for the Oregon Bottle Bill, the U.S.'s first mandatory container deposit law; and championed Senate Bill 100, which established statewide goals for land use planning and development.
After leaving office in 1975 due to term limits, McCall wrote a newspaper column and worked as a news analyst for KATU television in Portland. He ran for governor again in 1978, but lost the Republican primary to Victor Atiyeh. In 1982, despite suffering from terminal cancer, McCall successfully lobbied against Ballot Measure 6, which would have overturned the land-use planning legislation that he had supported.
McCall married Audrey Owen (1915-2007) in 1939. The couple had two sons: Samuel Walker McCall III, and Thomas "Tad" McCall. Tom McCall died on January 8, 1983.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Tom McCall speeches and statements
Official copies and drafts of speeches, statements, and other remarks made by Tom McCall (1913-1983) from March 1974 to July 1976, along with related correspondence, clippings, and other documents. McCall was governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975, and his governorship was notable for its activism in environmental and conservation causes.
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- Subject: Environmental Activism X