Oral history interview with Henrietta C. Failing

Collection

Identifier: SR 9550

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Henrietta C. Failing was conducted by Charles Digregorio on July 14, 1976, at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, as part of the oral history program at the society’s research library.

In this interview, Failing speaks about the history of the Failing family. She focuses particularly on the life and career of her father, James Frederick Failing, who came to Portland, Oregon, as a child in 1851; and on her uncle Henry Failing and his work as Portland mayor from 1864 to 1866 and from 1873 to 1875. She briefly discusses the role of Chinese Americans in 19th-century Portland. She also speaks about the life and career of her maternal grandfather, John Conner, who came to Albany, Oregon, in 1853. She talks about her family’s involvement with the First Baptist Church in Portland. She closes the interview by talking about her early life in Portland, including her memories of the Lewis and Clark Exposition in 1905.

Dates

1976 July 14

Creator

Failing, Henrietta Chase, 1895-1989 (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 Henrietta C. Failing. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Biographical note

Henrietta Chase Failing was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1895. In 1914, she graduated from the Portland Academy. She later attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Reed College in Portland. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Portland, a board member for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and was a volunteer for the Red Cross. She died in 1989.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Failing in her interview; Failing's obituary in the James F. Failing family papers, Coll 799, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (56 min., 55 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Henrietta C. Failing conducted by Charles Digregorio on July 14, 1976. Failing speaks about the history of the Failing family, particularly the life and career of her father, James Frederick Failing, and her uncle Henry Failing.

Existence and Location of Copies

Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Related Materials

Additional materials relating to Henrietta Chase Failing and other family members are included in the James F. Failing family papers, Coll 799, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.