Oral history interview with Loren D. Hicks

This oral history interview with Loren D. Hicks was conducted by Michael O’Rourke in three sessions from April 18 to May 6, 1988, as part of the Senator Mark O. Hatfield Oral History Project. The audio recording of the interview sessions is out of order, with the end of the interview on the last half of Tape 7, Side 1.

In this interview, Hicks Hicks briefly discusses his family background and early life in Salem, Oregon. He then speaks extensively about his association with Mark Hatfield while at Willamette University, and discusses serving as Hatfield's legal counsel during his tenures as Oregon secretary of state and governor. He talks about Hatfield’s 1960 and 1964 campaigns for governor, speaks extensively about legal advice he provided to Hatfield regarding appointing his successor as Secretary of State upon his inauguration, and discusses Hatfield’s relationships with Travis Cross. He then speaks at length about traveling to South American countries with Hatfield as part of a trip for U.S. governors. He discusses extradition and death penalty cases that he was involved with as Governor Hatfield’s legal counsel, and speaks about disasters that occurred during Hatfield’s governorship. He discusses some minor political scandals, then talks about Hatfield’s appointment of Hall Lusk to the Senate after the death of Richard Neuberger. He speaks about negotiations to lease property in Boardman to Boeing, and closes the interview with a discussion of his appointment as a judge on the Circuit Court of Marion County.