Oral history interview with Wendell Wyatt
Scope and Contents
This oral history interview with Wendell Wyatt was conducted by Randall Weisberg at Wyatt’s office in Portland, Oregon, from January 28 to March 24, 1992, as part of the United States District Court Oral History Project. The interview was conducted in three sessions. A transcript is available.
In this interview, Wyatt discusses his family background and early life in Eugene and Portland, including his service as a bombardier in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He speaks at length about his involvement in the 1952 presidential election and his relationship with U.S. Senator Wayne Morse. Wyatt discusses his time in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1964 to 1975. He also talks about his involvement with the U.S. District Court of Oregon.
Dates
- 1992 January 28-March 24
Creator
- Wyatt, Wendell William, 1917-2009 (Interviewee, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the U.S. District Court of Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Biographical note
Wendell William Wyatt was born in Eugene, Oregon, in 1917. He and his family moved to Portland in the late 1920s. He studied journalism at the University of Oregon. In 1937, he had to take a year off for financial reasons. When he returned, he instead studied law, earning his law degree in 1941. After passing the Oregon Bar in 1941, he was a special agent for the FBI until 1942, when he enlisted in the Navy’s aviation program. He served as a bombardier in the Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He and Anne Elizabeth Buchanan were married in the mid-1940s. They had three children and later divorced. After Wyatt's discharge in 1946, he returned to Oregon and practiced law in Astoria, where he began to get involved in Republican politics. He and Faye Hill were married in 1962. He represented Oregon in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1964 to 1975. After retiring from politics, he returned to Oregon to practice law in Portland with Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt. He died in 2009.
Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (6 audiocassettes (4 hr., 40 min., 50 sec.) + transcript (117 pages))
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Oral history interview with Wendell Wyatt conducted by Randall Weisberg from January 28 to March 24, 1992, as part of the United States District Court Oral History Project. Wyatt was a lawyer in Astoria and Portland, Oregon, and represented Oregon in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1964 to 1975.
Existence and Location of Copies
General
Forms part of the United States District Court Oral History Project.
General
A handwritten index (4 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
- Civil Procedure and Courts
- Lawyers -- Oregon -- Astoria
- Legislation -- United States
- Legislators -- Oregon
- Morse, Wayne L. (Wayne Lyman), 1900-1974
- Oral Histories
- Oregon
- Political Campaigns -- Oregon
- Republican Party (Or.)
- United States -- Politics and government -- 20th century
- United States. Congress. House
- Wyatt, Wendell William, 1917-2009
- interviews
- oral histories (literary genre)
Creator
- Wyatt, Wendell William, 1917-2009 (Interviewee, Person)
- Weisberg, Randall (Interviewer, Person)
- United States District Court of Oregon Historical Society (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to oral history interview with Wendell Wyatt
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sarah Stroman
- Date
- 2020; Revised 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
- Sponsor
- This project is supported in whole or part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Oregon.
Revision Statements
- 2022: Revised by Sarah Stroman to include session-by session-description.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org