E. Kimbark MacColl papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss2440

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of two documents by educator and historian E. Kimbark MacColl. The first document is a 1975 draft for the introduction to a book about the history of Portland, Oregon's development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the work was untitled at the time the draft was written, it would ultimately be published in 1976 as "The Shaping of a City: Business and Politics in Portland, Oregon, 1885-1915." The draft introduction discusses how the relationships between politicians and businesses, infrastructure development, and corruption played roles in Portland's development.

The second document is a copy of a speech that MacColl gave to the Jewish Museum Group in July 1992, titled, "Eight Unique Contributions to Oregon Public Life." In the speech, MacColl provides biographical sketches of Jewish Oregonians Louis Fleischner (1827-1906), Bernard Goldsmith (1832-1901), Philip Wasserman (1828-1895), Edward Hirsch (1836-1909), Solomon Hirsch (1851-1935), Joseph Simon (1851-1935), Ben Selling (1852-1931), and Julius L. Meier (1847-1937). MacColl also discusses Matthew Deady's relationship with Fleischner, as well as Deady's attitudes towards Jews in general.

Dates

1975-1992

Creator

MacColl, E. Kimbark (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical Note

Eugene Kimbark MacColl, who was known as E. Kimbark MacColl, was born in 1925 in Bronxville, New York. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. MacColl was educated at Princeton University, the University of Colorado, and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1953, he came to Portland, Oregon, where he initially taught humanities and worked as an admissions officer at Reed College. From 1958 to 1974, he taught history and served as headmaster at Catlin Gabel School.

Following his teaching career, MacColl wrote three books about the history of Portland's development: "The Shaping of a City: Business and Politics in Portland, Oregon, 1885-1915," published in 1976; "The Growth of a City: Power and Politics in Portland, Oregon, 1915-1950," published in 1979; and "Merchants, Money, and Power: The Portland Establishment, 1843-1913," co-written with Harry H. Stein, and published in 1988.

MacColl married Leanne Gwynne in 1948; the couple had four children. MacColl was active with the City Club of Portland and the Urban League of Portland. He died in August 2011.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (2 folders in shared box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Draft copy of the introduction for a book about the history of Portland, Oregon's development, and a speech about significant Jewish people in Oregon's history, both by E. Kimbark MacColl (1925-2011). MacColl was an educator and historian who, in the 1970s and 1980s, wrote three books about the history of Portland's development as a city.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gifts of E. Kimbark MacColl, circa 1976 and August 1992 (RL2022-002-RETRO; Lib. Acc. 20977).

Publication note

Introduction was published as part of MacColl's book, "The Shaping of a City: Business and Politics in Portland, Oregon, 1885-1915," published in Portland by Georgian Press in 1976.