Harold J. Turner papers

Collection

Identifier: Coll 918

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The majority of the collection consists of correspondence and records relating to Harold J. Turner's work as a railroad lobbyist and manager of the Oregon Railroad Association. The bulk of records in this collection relate to the association's budget and finances. Correspondence includes letters from political figures such as former Oregon governor and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay, U.S. Senators Guy Condon and Wayne Morse, Oregon Secretary of State Earl T. Newbry, and Portland City Commissioner Stanley W. Earl. Other materials in the collection include correspondence with family; advertisements for motor homes; and correspondence, notes, and clippings relating to the death of telephone executive Hawes B. Judy, though Turner's relationship with Judy is unknown.

Dates

1939-circa 1958

Creator

Turner, Harold J., 1893-1964 (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

Harold J. Turner was born in 1893 in Darke County, Ohio. He began working for railroads during the summers in Greenville, Ohio. In 1913, he moved to the Pacific Northwest, and became a station helper and then a station agent for the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S) in Camas, Washington. He was later appointed SP&S's general tax agent, and moved to Portland, Oregon. In 1934, he was named manager of the Oregon Railroad Association. In this position, he worked as the lobbyist for Union Pacific Railroad, Great Northern Railway, Southern Pacific Railroad, and SP&S in Oregon. He retired from the association in 1961. In 1963, he was the coordinator for Oregon Governor Mark Hatfield's Oregon Welcome Committee.

Turner's wife was Ruth E. Turner (1898-1968). The couple had four children; one son, Robert W. Turner, was killed in a plane crash while stationed in Germany in 1948. In November 1963, Harold J. Turner and Ruth E. Turner began an extended vacation, traveling in a motor home. During this vacation, on February 1, 1964, Harold J. Turner died in Fort Myers, Florida.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, May 19, 1948, and February 2, 1964; vital records on Ancestry.com.

Extent

0.23 Cubic Feet (1 slim legal document case)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of Harold J. Turner (1893-1964), primarily relating to his role as railroad lobbyist and manager of the Oregon Railroad Association. Turner worked for the railroad industry, and from 1934 to 1961 was manager of the Oregon Railroad Association.