Who was Manley J Wilson?

Oregon collectors and Oregon history buffs I know are telling themselves 'I think he was an Oregon candidate' or 'wasn't he in the legislature?' You would be correct on both of those fronts, but few people know anything more about Wilson than that. We hope this article will shed some much-needed light on his background for APIC members and the public.

Manley J Wilson represented Columbia and Clatsop County in the Oregon House of Representatives (HD 23) for four terms prior to being elected to the Oregon Senate in 1950. In the 1940s. Timber, Fishing and Farming were the mainstays of daily life in Columbia County. This is the community Wilson represented. They were union families and they were Democrats. Wilson himself was Editor of the Woodworker, the official publication of the International Woodworkers of America.

Norma Paulus Remembered

Norma Paulus was the first woman to ever be elected to statewide office in Oregon history. 1976 was the first presidential election after Watergate and voters made their feelings known throughout the country about the shenanigans of the Republican Party and President Nixon. President Ford would seek the GOP nomination and have to fend off a strong challenge from California Governor Ronald Reagan.

In Oregon, Republicans had held most statewide offices for decades.  Paulus was elected after Clay Myers had held the position. She would be the last Republican Secretary of State until 2016 when Dennis Richardson was elected. The Oregon Republicans had held the Secretary of State office from 1878 to 1985. Norma Paulus paved the way for women gaining statewide office in Oregon. She won two successful campaigns for Secretary of State and two terms as Oregon's Superintendent of Public Instruction.

WAGONER Who?

Ever come across a button that you have no clue about? For many years I had no idea who Wagoner was. I knew it was an Oregon pin, only because several respected Oregon collectors had it in their collections. I finally found one at the Salem Armory several years ago. I recently found another one this last weekend at a shop in Oregon City. I decided it was time to find answers to who was Wagoner. A few years ago, this wouldn't have been possible. As more and more historical databases and records become available online, more information becomes avaliable to researchers. This time, it was a quick search result of the 1938 Election and Wagoner brought me a quick result. 

The old Oregon index made by the Oregon APIC Chapter in the 1980s noted the name of Clarence R. Wagoner. The first hit was in the online database called Our Campaigns. This is where I found that Wagoner had run in the crowded 1938 Oregon Republican Primary for Governor.

Eventual winner Charles Sprague won the crowded race with 48% of the vote and Wagoner came in a distant third earning 9% of the vote. While this was important to establish the legitimacy of the button, it didn't help me figure out who Wagoner was or what he stood for.

Richard Neuberger Bumper Sticker

Picked up this bumper sticker from the successful 1954 campaign of Richard Neuberger. He was the first Democrat to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Oregon since 1914. He won by a little over 2,000 votes out of half a million cast in the election.

He served along side Wayne Morse, and their famous feud is well documented. A noted journalist of America, the Pacific Northwest and politics. Nueberger was a natural storyteller. He wrote many articles for dozens of publications during his life. Some were even collected into books. I have not had great luck finding Neuberger for Senate items over the years. This was the first thing on Ebay I think I have ever purchased for Neuberger.

Most of the time you can find the Conservationists for Neuberger items. There is a seed pack that was designed for sportsman to disperse in the wild to make up for the grass they trample on while hunting. The other item that has been seen frequently in collections is the Conservationists for Neuberger tab. Blogger Andy Kerr has written a little bit about Neuberger's conservation work at his blog.

Verne Duncan Sale & Items

This weekend I was able to attend the estate sale of Verne and Donna Duncan. They have recently downsized and moved out of their long time residence. I was able to add a few Duncan items I never had the chance to get over the years. Duncan was the longstanding Superntendent of Public Education in Oregon. He was elected in 1974 and served until 1989.

John Dellenback TV Special

Found this great special from SOPTV about highlighting the life of Congressman John Dellenback. You can watch it here

I recently framed up my Dellenback items. The only thing I have that is not pictured here is a red and white Dellenback tab.

Paul Hanneman Remembered

In 2017 Oregon lost Paul Hanneman. He spent 26 years in the Oregon legislature representing citizens of the central Oregon coast. His home was Pacific City and he was involved in two of the landmark environmental  accomplishments of the late 1960s and early 1970s here in Oregon. The Oregon Bottle Bill when first introduced in 1969 was met with stiff opposition, including opposition from future supporter Governor Tom McCall. Eventually Paul Hanneman and Richard Chambers were eventually able to get McCall on board in 1971 and HB 1036 was passed with a lot of opposition from grocery stores and the beverage industry. Hanneman was the sponsor of the legislation.

Oregon's Measure 101: All that's left are the Mailers

Oregon just finished its first January Special Election in about a decade. Voters in Oregon got a ballot near the start of the month that had one quetion on it. The people voted and the YES side won. Was there anything leftover for collectors? Not much. My home recieved at least three different YES mailers. I picked up some walk lit and other campaign documents that I was involved in during the election itself and one button from my group. Other than that, it seems most collectors will only get a mailer to remember this election.

Clint Eastwood Collection

One of the neat things about collecting political items are all the side collections people induldge in. One of mine is Celebrity Politics. Candidates who were famous before they entered politics in media and pop culture. For a long time I had been looking for a Clint Eastwood for Mayor pin. From what I understood he only ran one campaign for Mayor of Carmel, California. I figured I wouldn't be able to find much. That all changed last week.

Inouye Pin Turns Up in Beaverton

While out on a day trip through various second hand stores and antique shops I stumbled upon this wonderful pin from the early career of Dan K. Inouye. Most Oregonians have probably never heard of Inouye. He was the first member of Congress ever from the state of Hawaii. Elected, he took office the same day Hawaii became a state.

Favorite Items of 2017

Now just a look back at some of my favorite items I have picked up over the last year! Many are Oregon, but some are from other places.

 Ron Wyden 20 years of public service invite and tickets. I thought these were some of the best Ron Wyden items you can find (outside of the basketball that keeps eluding me). When my friend Wayne decided to close up shop here in Oregon and move back to Maine to be closer to family I wound up with a set.

Wayne Morse Christmas Cards

Merry Christmas fellow APIC Members! Here are two Christmas Cards from the collection of Oregon member John Silvertooth. Both are from Senator Wayne Morse and representative of the cards he would send out to supporters.

Political Items in Prineville

If you like to go exploring and have the time to visit Prineville, Oregon, you should go check it out. I recently visited the A.R. Bowman Museum (Crook County Historical Society). It is housed in two floors of an old bank in downtown Prineville, a few blocks from the county courthouse. Like most county centric museums there are lots of items from the 'early days' of the town and their pioneer roots (a very common theme in Oregon). There were photos of the old baseball teams, teachers, ranch hands, prominient buisnesspersons and what-have you. There was even, for fans of political items, some of those tucked away in this museum that you had to really look to find.

Here are the items I noticed.

1) William McKinely bootjack.

Most of us are probably thinking....what is a bootjack??  It is a device invented to help remove your boots. This bootjack was used in William McKinely's successful 1896 campaign for President according to the caption provided with it.

Vintage Wyden Lawn Sign

I normally try to avoid lawn signs. They are bulky, many don't display well, and they take up a lot of limited storage space. Still, on occasion, someone will mention to me 'hey Carl, I've got this old sign do you want it?' and I will usually say yes just to see the sign.

Most of us know lawn signs as either these hard rigid plastic things that just have the name of the candidate on them. Or they are disposable plastic bag signs that you can toss in the recycle after the campaign. Lawn signs use to be a big deal. They were made locally out wood, particle wood or other tough materials. Often, they were hand painted. When a friend asked me if I wanted an old Ron Wyden lawn sign, I wasn't sure what I was getting. I was glad I said YES!

Helen Cannon Delegate Badge

While taking a trip to the Oregon coast this weekend I stumbled upon a few political items. In one shop, there were some very common 1960s-1970s local Oregon candidate and national presidential buttons. Lot's of Nixon's the One!, Morse, Packwood. Many of the typical pins you might find at antique shops across the state.

In the mix of all these pins was a badge and ribbon pictured below. Still trying to find out more details about Helen Cannon and what event the badge is from exactly. It could be from an Oregon Republican State Convention in 1968 or 1972.

 If you know what event these badges were used from, please leave a comment.

Wyatt Postcard Found

This postcard was recently discovered on ebay.  It is from a campaign of Wendell Wyatt.

Hardy Myers Remembered

Shortly after Thanksgiving in 2016 Oregon lost one of its most humble public servants. Hardy Myers passed away at the age of 77. Born in Electric Mills, Mississippi. Like many, he found his way to Oregon when his family moved here for the logging. His father worked in the Bend area before settling the family in Prineville. That's where he met his future wife Mary Ann. He would go back to the East for college and then return again for to Oregon for law school.

Hardy Myers enjoyed public service. It seemed to be in his blood. As a volunteer in his local Parrish he got the attention of others in the community. He soon found himself volunteering to serve on public boards and commissions in Portland. That would then get friends to urge him to run for the Oregon Legislature. You can read about many of his accomplishments in elected office here.

Governor Robert's 80th Birthday Party

Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts turned 80 with a special birthday party at Montgomery Park in December of 2016. It was packed with about 800 people. There were speeches, 2 other Governors of Oregon and 1 from Washington even. The Portland Trailblazers gifted her with a signed jersey. There was a photo station where you could have your photo taken in silly hats with a cardboard cut out of her. Most of all to Governor Roberts the whole event was a fundraiser for Compassion & Choices.

C&C is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving care and providing education to terminally ill patients and their families about end of life planning. A cause Roberts has been deeply passionate about for many years.

There were several items produced for the event, including an event program and button. Here is the full color program.

Oregon GOP Nominees 1986-2016

The following is a quick listing of all the Republican nominees for Oregon Governor for the last 30 years. Some of these individuals have been written about on our blog, some have not. Norma Paulus the 1986 nominee was recently featured as part of an in depth look back at the 1986 campaign in Portland Monthly by Brent Walth. He calls it 'Oregon's last epic' campaign. 

We decided to take a look at the items from the campaigns. We are still tracking items down, but as we find them we'll post an entry and link on this list.  The first image is just a nice preview of each of the campaigns from the last 30 years. 

Tom McCall Memorial Program

Really neat program that a friend was able to find for me while he was shopping for books.

Look at some of the names that were able to speak at this event.