Oral history interview with Virgil H. Langtry

Collection

Identifier: SR 9524

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Virgil H. Langtry was conducted by Charles Digregorio at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on December 20, 1976, as part of the oral history program at the society’s research library. Langtry’s wife, H. Lavina Langtry, was also present and briefly contributed to the interview.

In this interview, H. Lavina Langtry briefly discusses her family background. Virgil H. Langtry then discusses his family background and early life in lumber towns near Eugene, Oregon. He talks about starting a law practice in Bend during the Depression, about serving as treasurer for the Farm Loan Association in Redmond, and about his work with the League of Oregon Cities. He discusses lawyers he worked with, shares his thoughts about political issues at the time of the interview, and talks about the relationship between the press and the judicial system. He closes the interview by talking about the disparity between the salaries of judges and lawyers.

Dates

1976 December 20

Creator

Langtry, Virgil H. (Virgil Hillary), 1911-2000 (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 estate of Virgil H. Langtry. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Biographical note

Virgil Hillary Langtry was born in Rigby, Idaho, in 1911. Within a year, his family moved near Eugene, Oregon. He earned a law degree from the University of Oregon, then practiced law in Bend during the Depression. A few years later, he began serving as treasurer for the Farm Loan Association in Redmond. He served as a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals from 1969 to 1976.

In 1939, he and Marguerite Ellen Cronin were married; they later had two children. After her death in 1971, he remarried, to Hazel Lavina Mulkins. Virgil Langtry died in 2000.

Sources: Vital records in Ancestry.com; information provided by Langtry in his interview.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 3 min., 7 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Virgil H. Langtry conducted by Charles Digregorio on December 20, 1976. Langtry discusses his career as a lawyer in Deschutes County, Oregon.