Oregon State Public Welfare Commission meeting records

Collection

Identifier: Mss 1689

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of records of meetings that the Oregon State Public Welfare Commission held in Salem, Oregon, from 1960 to 1971. The bulk of the records are meeting minutes, which list the names of members who were present or absent and the names of anyone else who was present. Minutes from August 1969 onward are titled as minutes of the Public Welfare Advisory Committee, reflecting a change in the agency's name. The collection also includes a small amount of correspondence relating to the dates of upcoming meetings and who was invited to attend meetings.

Dates

Creation: 1960-1971

Creator

Oregon. State Public Welfare Commission (Organization)

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.

Administrative History

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The Oregon State Public Welfare Commission was an agency that distributed money for the living expenses of unemployed and elderly people, foster children, and people with disabilities. It was founded in 1933 as the Oregon State Relief Committee after the passage of House Bill 169. The commission worked through subcommittees of seven members from each county in Oregon. In its first year, it received more than $5 million from the U.S. government. The agency's name was changed to the State Public Welfare Commission in 1939. In 1969, its name was changed once again, to the Public Welfare Division, due to a reorganization of Oregon state government.

Sources: "Kiddle Discusses State's Problems," Oregonian, February 18, 1933, page 3; "Much Achieved in Oregon Past Year," by Wayne A. Pettit, Oregonian, December 31, 1933, page 6; "House Disposes of Pending Bills," Oregonian, February 15, 1939, page 4; "Introduction of Recipient Advisers Helps Calm Fear of Panel Demise," by Robert Olmos, Oregonian, June 27, 1969, page 21.

Full Extent

0.36 Cubic Feet (1 letter document case)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Minutes of and correspondence relating to meetings of the Oregon State Public Welfare Commission that were held in Salem, Oregon, from 1960 to 1971. The commission was founded in 1933 as the Oregon State Relief Committee and changed its name in 1939. In 1969, the agency changed its name again, to the Oregon Public Welfare Division.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Children's Service Division, Multnomah County Welfare Department, October 1973 (Lib. Acc. 12716).

Related Materials

Other materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library relating to the Oregon State Public Welfare Commission include Mss 250, the Julia Ruuttila papers; Mss 1111, General report, Oregon child welfare survey; and SR 9548, an oral history interview with Elmer R. Goudy, which is available online in OHS Digital Collections at https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/sr-9548-oral-history-interview-with-elmer-r-goudy.

Separated Materials

In 2026, a Multnomah County Circuit Court manual for juvenile court probation officers was separated from the collection and processed as Coll 1141.

Processing Information

Collection was initially processed before 2011, most likely in the 1970s. Original file folders were retained. A new collection guide was written by Jeffrey A. Hayes in 2026 to more accurately describe the contents of the collection and to note the separation of one item. Collection was titled "Multnomah County Welfare Dept. records" prior to 2026.