This oral history interview with Jack G. Collins was conducted by Bruce James on August 15, 1996. Additional interview sessions were planned, but were never conducted. In this interview, Collins discusses coming to Oregon in 1958 to become a law clerk for Oregon Supreme Court Justice Water Perry; studying for the Oregon bar exam; and working with Bob Packwood. He then speaks at length about his family background and early life in Waukegan, Illinois, including his education. He discusses his involvement with the Presbyterian Church; some of the cases he worked on as a lawyer in Salem, Oregon; and attending Princeton University while serving in the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps. He closes the interview by talking briefly about his naval service during the Korean War.