Oral history interview with William C. Ralston

Collection

Identifier: SR 9573

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with William C. Ralston was conducted by Charles Digregorio at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on March 25, 1977, as part of the oral history program at the society’s research library.

In this interview, Ralston discusses his family background and early life in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland. He talks about a hospital and businesses in the neighborhood. He discusses his work in the district attorney’s office in Portland, and talks about cases he worked on, including a case involving an orca, dubbed "Ethelbert," that swam up the Columbia River and lingered near Portland until it was killed by a former whaler, Edward Lessard, and his son, Joseph Lessard. Ralston closes the interview by talking about serving as a commander of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp during the Depression.

Dates

1977 March 25

Creator

Ralston, William C. (William Cato), 1899-1991 (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 William C. Ralston. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Biographical note

William Cato Ralston was born in Albany, Oregon, in 1899. He grew up in Portland, Oregon, and also briefly lived in Berkeley, California, while his older sisters attended college. He studied law at the University of Oregon, then completed his law degree at Yale University in 1923. That same year, he returned to Portland and began practicing law. From 1931 to 1934, he worked as a prosecutor for the district attorney’s office in Portland. He married Marcia Knight in 1925; they later had one child, then divorced in 1949. The next year, he remarried to Celia P. Stoddard. Ralston died in 1991.

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

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 4 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with William C. Ralston conducted by Charles Digregorio on March 25, 1977. Ralston discusses his early life in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, and his later work as a prosecutor for the district attorney's office in Portland.