Wayne Lyman Morse (1900-1974) served as U. S. Senator from 1945 to 1969. He was a member of the Labor and
Welfare Committee, Armed Services Committee, and Foreign Relations Committee and served as a delegate to the United Nations. The collection
contains senatorial papers, 1944-1968, research material, arbitration decisions, speeches, financial material, mementos and personal and general
correspondence.
Repository:
University of Oregon Libraries Special Collections & University
Archives
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National
Endowment for the Humanities.
Other Descriptive Information
The Papers of Senator Wayne L. Morse include material from 1919 to 1969. However, the bulk of the collection consists of the Senatorial
papers, 1944-1968.
At various times between 1945 and 1968, Senator Morse sent his non-current files to the National Archives and Records Service for
storage. The entire file was received by the University of Oregon Library in 1973 in the form of several record groups, each group representing
a shipment to the storage unit.
The task of the Librarian has been to reassemble the parts of the collection and create the file that would have existed had all the
records remained in the Senator's office. With some exceptions this has been done.
In 1960 the Senator's staff adopted a new filing system. As a result, practically the entire file begins anew in 1961. In addition,
certain specific files, e.g., Academy, Post Office, Public Works, were located in two general files, and sometimes kept as distinct files as
well. Such easily identified parts and distinct files were assembled into single units.
A researcher interested in a subject may need to consult several files to be certain of finding everything he wants. Even so apparently
distinct a subject as a political campaign cannot be studied by reference to the Campaign File alone; the speech file, radio and television, and
general correspondence files should all be examined for pertinent material.
On the other hand, the Index File is a nearly complete guide to all correspondents during the Senatorial years; a search for
correspondence with specific persons is relatively uncomplicated.
The use of the Papers of Senator Wayne L. Morse is restricted by agreement with the donor. Persons wishing to use the collection should
address the Curator of Special Collections, University of Oregon Library, stating the nature and purpose of their research.
No general microfilming or other reproduction of the collection is permitted or contemplated.
Source:
Inventory of the papers of Senator Wayne L. Morse, 1919-1969, prepared by Martin Schmitt and published by
the University of Oregon Library in 1974
Biographical Note
Wayne Lyman Morse was born on October 20, 1900 in Verona, Wisconsin, and grew up on his family's farm. He received a degree in labor
economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1923, and was awarded a masters degree from the university in 1924. That same year he married
Mildred Downie, a high school home economics teacher. While teaching and coaching the debate team at the University of Minnesota, he attended
law school. After receiving his LL.B. in 1928, Columbia University awarded him a teaching fellowship and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.
The family moved to Eugene in 1929, where Morse took a position as assistant professor of law at the University of Oregon. Nine months
later, at 30 years of age, he was named dean of the School of Law. Morse was the youngest law school dean in the country. In 1932 Morse was
instrumental in rousing Oregon voters to defeat the Zorn-Macpherson bill, which proposed moving the University's liberal arts curriculum to
Oregon State College in Corvallis, and making the University of Oregon a teacher college. Throughout the 1930s, Morse served on numerous state
legislative committees. He served as Chairman of the American Bar Association's committee on prisons, probation and parole, and on the Oregon
Crime Commission and the Governor's Commission on judicial reform.
Between 1938 and 1944, Morse was appointed arbitrator in a series of labor cases, most of them involving maritime unions. During the
same time, Morse also served on the National War Labor Board.
In 1944, Morse stepped down from his post as dean of the School of Law and pursued a seat in the U.S. Senate. His Senate campaign
focused on his connection with the people, highlighting his work as a labor arbitrator. He beat incumbent Republican Rufus C. Holman in the
primary election, and went on to win the state election by a wide margin over Democratic nominee Edgar W. Smith.
Morse served as U. S. Senator from 1945 to 1969. After defecting from the Republican party in 1952, he sat in a chair in the middle of
the Senate aisle to emphasize his independence. He joined the Democrats in 1955, and became an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War. He was
joined only by Alaskan Senator Ernest Gruening in voting against President Johnson's Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. His 24-year career in the U.S.
Senate ended when Robert Packwood, a young Republican from Lake Oswego who called Morse's dissent reckless, defeated him in the 1968
election.
Morse's career was the subject of the film
The Last Angry Man: The Story of America's Most Controversial Senator, produced by Christopher Houser and
Robert Millis (Square Deal Productions, 1999).
Sources:
Morse for U. S. Senator Committee. "Facts About Wayne Morse." 1944.
Drukman, Mason.
Wayne Morse: A Political Biography. Portland, Oregon: The Oregon Historical Society Press, 1997.
Content Description
The collection includes material from 1919 to 1969. However, the bulk of the collection consists of the Senatorial papers,
1944-1968.
In 1960, the Senator's staff adopted a new filing system, so that a particular subject may span different files. A researcher
interested in a subject may need to consult several files to be certain of finding everything she wants. For example, an apparently distinct
subject such as a political campaign cannot be studied by reference to the Campaign File alone; the speech file, radio and television, and
general correspondence files should all be examined for pertinent material. However, the Index File is a nearly complete guide to all
correspondents during the Senatorial years; a search for correspondence with specific persons is relatively uncomplicated.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Collection is open to the public.
Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.
Restrictions on Use :
Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the
creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Manuscripts
Librarian in Special Collections & University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation :
[Identification of item], Wayne L. Morse Papers, Coll. 001, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon,
Eugene, Oregon.
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
The collection is organized into the following series:
Series A. General Correspondence File, 1945-1960. A name and subject file of incoming and outgoing correspondence. After 1960 it
was replaced by a subject file.
Series B. Subject File, 1961-1968. Incoming and outgoing correspondence; documents and publications, arranged by subject.
Series C. Academy File, 1946-1968. Applications, examination records, appointments to U. S. service academies.
Series D. Post Office File, 1945-1968. Correspondence, documents about post office in general, post masters, postal
service.
Series E. Public Works File, 1955-1969. Bureau of Reclamation and Army Engineers projects: dams, flood control, irrigation,
reclamation and navigation projects: correspondence.
Series F. Servicemen and Veterans File, 1945-1968. Correspondence on veterans' legislation, pensions, hospitals, and problems of
specific veterans.
Series G. Oregon Office File, 1954-1968. Correspondence referred to Oregon office from Washington, D. C. or sent originally to
Oregon office for action.
Series H. Bill File, 1945-1968. Bills introduced or cosponsored by Senator Morse. With correspondence and documents.
Series I. Legislative Correspondence File, 1947-1960. Senate and House bills not introduced or sponsored by Senator Morse;
reports, hearings, correspondence.
Series J. Departmental Correspondence, 1946-1961. Correspondence with Federal departments and agencies about legislation,
policies, aid to constituents.
Series K. Pressure mail, 1947-1968. Bulk mail, largely from organized letter-writing campaigns.
Series L. Robo File, 1954-1968. Bulk mail, with replies in robo-typed form letters.
Series M. Synopsis of Floor Work; Voting Records, 1945-1966. Daily records of action in Senate; Senator Morse's voting record in
Senate.
Series N. Campaign Papers, 1944-1968. Correspondence, speeches, financial and other records of political campaigns of Senator
Morse, and Morse on behalf of others.
Series O. Speech File, 1922-1968.
Series P. Articles and Statements File, 1945-1966. Magazine articles by and about Senator Morse; statements distributed for mass
mailing or special purposes.
Series Q. Radio, Television and Motion Picture File, 1947-1968. Scripts, phono-records, tape recordings, television tapes, motion
picture films.
Series R. Employment File, 1948-1968. Office personnel records; files on Federal jobs in Washington, D. C. and elsewhere.
Series S. Pre-Senate Correspondence, 1932-1943; Personal Correspondence, 1944-1951.
Series T. Committees, Commissions, Boards, 1930-1968. Records of official and semi-official appointments and obligations.
Series U. Index to Senatorial Files, 1945-1968.
Series V. Scrapbooks, 1919-1969.
Series W. Miscellaneous Records, 1946-1968. Appointment books; law course notes and lectures; horse records; mementos,
photographs.
Addendum - July 1981
These bits and pieces of material were found after the main body of Wayne L. Morse Papers had been processed. It is not known
whether this material somehow never got sorted into the major collection or if it was received after the main portion of the collection had been
processed. This addendum largely consists of correspondence, La Follette research material, arbitration decisions, speeches, financial material,
and mementos. The correspondence has been divided into personal and general, according to a previous processing decision. It is arranged
alphabetically with the number of letters appearing in parentheses after the name. The speeches and financial material have been arranged
chronologically. The last box contains oversize material including artifacts, ledgers, yearbooks of Mildred Morse and two scrapbooks. Original
photographs have been removed to the Photograph Collection.
Addendum II - May 1984
These files comprising the second addendum to the Wayne L. Morse Papers were found unprocessed and out of place in the stacks.
It is believed they were separated from the main collection of papers in the processing stage, but for an unknown reason were never included
with that body of material. There is no records of them having been received separately. They consist of promotional material, press clippings
and photographs (removed to the Photograph Collection) of the Foreign Relations Committee's Latin American Trip in 1959; invitations, both
declined and accepted, arranged chronologically; and personal files.
Addendum III - October 1984
These files include correspondence from 1942-1943 and speeches from 1937-1947. Correspondents include Harold Ickes and
Franklin Roosevelt, regarding the National War Labor Board. The four speeches are on various topics.
Separated Materials :
Photographs in this collection are stored separately under call number PH131.
Additional Reference Guides :
Inventory of the papers of Senator Wayne L. Morse, 1919-1969 / prepared by Martin Schmitt, curator of Special Collections, Eugene :
University of Oregon Library, 1974 : Z6616.M88 O73 1974
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series A: General correspondence file, 1945-1960
A name and subject file of incoming and outgoing correspondence. Includes reference and cross reference sheets. This file was
discontinued in 1960 and replaced by a "Subject file," 1961-1968 (see Series B).
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box
1
A-Az
1947-1951
2
A-Az
1952-1959
3
A-Az
1959-1960
3
Abrahamson, C. E.
1946-1958
3
Acheson, Dean [pressure mail]
1951-1952
3
Adams, Sherman [case of]
1951-1958
3
Adler, Leo
1949-1951
3
Aeronautics
1947-1949
3
Aeronautics, airports
1947
4
Africa
1957-1960
4
Agriculture
1947
4
Agriculture, appropriations
1960
4
Agriculture, labor
1945-1947
4
Air Academy, location
1950-1951
4
Air defense
1948-1950
4
Air Force
1951-1954
4
Air Force Reserve
1947
4
Air Force Reserve, Salem, Oregon
1948-1949
4
Air Line Pilots and Stewardesses Association
1958
4
Air line service to Hawaii
1946-1948
4
Aitchison, Bruce
1951
4
Alaska
1947-1960
4
Alaska highway
1947
4
Alaska housing
1950-1951
5
Albina Engine and Machine Works
1947
5
Alcatraz, treatment of prisoners
1948-1949
5
Alcohol, Springfield, Oregon plant
1945-1949
5
Alcohol in army camps
1950-1955
5
Aldrich, Edwin B.
1946-1950
5
Alexander, Paul J.
1956-1957
5
Alien property claims
1955-1960
5
Allen, C. H.
1945-1949
5
Allen, Edward W.
1948-1952
5
Allen, Jess H.
1948-1950
5
Allen, Niel
1945-1951
5
Allen, Robert S.
1954
5
Allen, S. Eugene
1945-1948
5
Alstock, Francis
1955-1958
5
Alumina clay plant, Salem, Oregon
1945-1949
5
Aluminum
1951-1958
5
Aluminum, Troutdale, Oregon plant
1946-1950
5
Aly, Bower
1959-1960
6
Armbruster, Howard W.
1946-1948
6
American Bar Association
1946-1957
6
American Civil Liberties Union
1952
6
American Council on Human Rights
1952
6
American Federation of Labor and C.I.O
1955-1961
6
American Federation of the Physically Handicapped, Inc
1950-1952
6
American Fliers in Hungary
1951-1952
6
American Institute of Pacific Relations
1951-1952
6
American Legion
1945-1960
6
American Medical Association
1945-1961
6
American Mercury
1946-1947
6
American Public Power Association
1953-1960
6
American University
1947
6
American Veterans Committee
1946-1952
6
Americans for Democratic Action
1948-1960
7
Anderson, Harold B.
1951-1952
7
Anderson, Ralph J.
1952-1956
7
Anderson, Robert H.
1951
7
Anderson, Ross
1946-1952
7
Anderson, Steve
1947-1956
7
Andrews, Roy C.
1951-1952
7
Angell, Homer
1946-1954
7
Anti-defamation League
1950
7
Anti-vivisection
1952-1961
7
Apple Growers Association, Hood River, Oregon
1945-1950
7
Applications
1954-1957
7
Arab states, rearmament
1950
7
Arbuckle, George L.
1945-1946
7
Argentina
1945-1947
7
Arlington Aeornautical School in Tillamook, Oregon
1952
7
Armed Forces and services
1954
7
Armed Forces day
1950-1952
7
Armstrong, Albert H.
1945-1946
7
Arnold, Melvin
1945-1951
7
Arrow Transportation Co
1947-1948
7
Associated Press
1954
7
Astoria Naval Hospital
1945-1946
7
Atomic bomb
1950-1954
7
Atomic energy bill (S.3690)
1954
8
Atomic energy, joint committee on (S.2239)
8
Autograph and photograph requests
1946-1960
8
Axley, Ralph E.
1945-1952
9
Bl 1947-By 1949
10
Ba 1950-By 1951-1952
11
Ba 1952-1953-By 1953-1954
12
Ba 1954-1955-Bes 1959-1960
13
Bl-By
1959-1960
13
Badley, Joy E.
1950-1951
13
Baker, Edward D.
1952
13
Ball, Dewey L.
1948-1952
13
Banfield, Harry M.
1949-1951
13
Barbey, Dan E.
1950-1952
13
Barden bill (H.R. 7160)
1950
13
Barkley, Alben W.
1951
13
Barton, George S.
1948-1952
13
Baxter, William E.
1949-1951
13
Beale Air Force Base
1952-1954
13
Beals, A. G.
1947-1949
13
Beaver Ammunition Storage Depot
1953
13
Becker, Howard
1950
13
Beggs, George
1945-1946
13
Benesch, Irving
1957
13
Benson, Donald L.
1947-1950
13
Benton, William
1950-1960
13
Bercovici, B. S.
1947-1954
13
Berg, William
1954-1958
13
Bergon, Florence S.
1947-1951
13
Berlin
1958-1959
14
Bernstein, Merton C.
1954-1960
14
Bigelow, James W.
1952
14
Billikopf, Jacob
1945-1950
14
Bishop, Mrs. Walter [Ruth Lipper]
1946-1948
14
Black, Eugene
1957
14
Blackford, W. A.
1945-1960
14
Bladine, Jack
1949-1950
14
Blind
1945-1947
14
Bloch, Ivan
1956-1959
14
Blonk, Hubert
1953-1954
14
Boehnke, Ed. G.
1950-1952
14
Bond, Jesse H.
1946
14
Bonds (U. S.)
1954-1960
14
Bone, Arthur H.
1947-1960
14
Bonneville Power Administration
1947-1950
14
Books received
1945-1950
15
Books reviewed
1951-1960
15
Bouslog, Harriet
1949
15
Jay Bowerman
1950-1951
15
Box car shortage
1946-1951
15
Boyd, Robert O.
1948-1951
15
Boylen, Ernest L.
1952
15
Bradshaw, Archie E.
1946-1952
15
Bramel, Walter
1955-1956
15
Brandenfels, Carl
1947-1956
15
Brandt, Philip M.
1945-1954
16
Brettauer, Alfred
1947-1951
16
Brewster, J. E.
1946-1947
16
Brigham, Leslie E.
1947-1949
16
Brod, Harry A.
1945-1947
16
Brookings Institution
1947-1948
16
Brooks, Charles W.
1957-1960
16
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen
1948
16
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
1949-1956
16
Brown, Daniel II
1950-1952
16
Brown, George
1949-1950
16
Brown, James
1946-1958
16
Brown, McDannell
1948-1950
16
Brown, Mary E.
1945-1950
16
Bryan, Colvin
1947-1951
16
Budget, U. S.
1947-1950
16
Burlap shortage
1951
16
Burnett, Ben W.
1953-1957
16
Burnham Chemical Company
1960
17
Business Week
1946-1947
17
Butler, John D., Jr
1950-1954
17
Byrne, Charles D.
1945-1946
17
Ca 1947-Ch 1949
18
Cl 1949-Co 1951-1952
19
Cr 1951-1952-Cy 1953/1954
20
Ca 1954/1955-Cz 1957-1959
21
Ca-Cz
1959-1960
21
Cabinet appointments
1953, 1960
21
Cain, Harry P.
1950-1952
21
Cake, Ralph
1945-1951
21
California Oregon Power Company
1955-1959
21
Camp Adair, Oregon
1945-1956
21
Camp Watson, Oregon
1958-1960
21
Camp White, Oregon
1950-1959
21
Campaign support
1952-1953
21
Cancelled speeches
1955
21
Cancer
1954-1960
22
Capehart, Homer
1957-1959
22
Capital budgeting
1955-1961
22
Capital punishment
1956-1960
22
Capitol extension
1958-1960
22
Capper, Arthur
1946-1947
22
Capsin, Joseph
1947-1960
22
CARE
1945-1949
22
Carpenter, Charles E.
1945-1946
22
Carson, Joe
1946-1957
22
Cartoons
1952-1953,
1959-1960
22
Casey, John T.
1945-1950
22
Casselberry, Horace
1955-1957
22
Catching Slough log booms
1949-1950
22
Cement
1950
22
Census
1949-1950
22
Chafee, Zechariah
1951-1952
22
Chapman, C. C.
1946, 1952
22
Charlton, Grace
1955-1956
22
Chavez, Dennis
1953-1954
22
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
1959
22
Chilberg, C. K.
1946-1950
22
China
1947-1960
22a
China Lobby
1952
23
Christian, Malcolm H.
1957
23
Chrome
1948-1960
23
Church, R. R.
1949-1952
23
Churchill, John
1957-1961
23
Circuit Court of Appeals, 9th
1948-1949
23
Citizenship Committee, N. E. A.
1949-1956
23
Civil defense
1949-1956
23
Civil rights
1955-1960
24
Civil rights
1959-1960
24
Civil rights, Douglas letter
1957-1958
24
Civil rights, Little Rock, Arkansas
1957-1958
24
Civil Rights Commission
1957-1959
24
Civil service
1953-1954
24
Civil Service Commission
1946-1947
24
Civilian Production Administration
1946-1947
24
Clapp, Gordon
1947
24
Clark, Arthur M.
1955
24
Clark, Dan E.
1947-1952
24
Clark, Ned
1946-1951
24
Cloture
1952-1955
24
Coal
1950-1952
24
Coast Guard
1950
24
Coast Guard Reserve
1948-1950
24
Coast Guard security regulations
1951
24
Cochran, Clay
1948-1951
24
Cohn, Marcus
1949-1951
24
Cole, Hugh
1956-1960
24
Colliers
1949-1950
24
Collins, Harry J.
1947
24
Colombia, S. A., religious freedom
1956-1957
25
Columbia Basin Interagency Committee
1949-1950
25
Columbia Interstate Compact Commission
1954-1960
25
Columbia River Development Corporation
1954-1959
25
Columbia Valley Authority
1949-1953
25
Columbus Day
1959
25
Commendations
1947
25
Commissaries, military
1953-1954
25
Commission of Public Docks, Port of Portland, Oregon
1950-1951
25
Committee assignments
1948-1953,
1955-1957
25
Committee on the Present Danger
1950-1952
25
Communications stations, Oregon (C. A. A.)
1946-1957
25
Communism
1946-1960
25
Concentration camps for suspected subversives
1952
25
Conciliation
1947-1950
25
Conciliation Service, dismissal of employees
1946-1947
26
Conflict of interests
1955-1959
26
Congratulatory letters
1946-1955
26
Congress of Industrial Organizations
1949-1955
26
Congressional Record, corrections and insertions
1953-1960
26
Conservation
1955-1961
26
Consservation, soil and water research laboratory, Oregon
1953-1960
26
Continental Chemical Company, Salem, Oregon
1950-1951
26
Controls, price and rent
1953-1954
26
Cook, Mrs. O. D.
1952-1958
26
Coon, Sam
1957
26
Cooper, Forrest E.
1945-1952
26
Cooper, Genevieve
1951-1953
26
Cooper Lake hydroelectric project
1958-1959
26
Cooperatives
1947-1951
26
Coos Bay port dispute
1946
26
Copper
1950-1951
26
Cordon, Guy
1947-1955
26
Cornelison, Mrs. J. M.
1948-1951
26
Cornett, Marshall E.
1945-1947
26
Corrupt Practices Act
1953-1957
27
Council Against Communist Aggression
1952
27
Council on Foreign Relations
1959-1961
27
Couponing
1955
27
Courshon, Arthur
1958-1961
27
Cox, Herb
1945-1952,
1956-1958
27
Crab meat industry
1957-1960
27
Craget, Leo
1953-1957
27
Cranberries
1959-1960
27
Crank letters
1948-1949, 1959
27
Crater Lake National Park
1945-1946
27
Crawford and Doherty Foundry Company
1947-1948
27
Credit buereaus
1949
27
Criticism
1946-1951
27
Crockwell, J. D. M.
1945-1950
27
Cronise, Ralph
1945-1951
27
Crosby, Clyde
1957
27
Crow, C. C.
1945-1952
27
Cuba
1959-1961
27
Curry, James E.
1950-1951
27
Curry County Hospital Association
1950-1951
27
Curtis Lumber Company
1953-1955
27
Cyprus
1956-1959
28
Da 1947-Dl 1951/1952
29
Do 1951/1952-Do 1958/1959
30
Dalles (The) bridge construction
1952
30
Dana, Marshall N.
1946-1950
30
Danberg, Neil
1948-1951
30
Dann, Sol A.
1958
30
Dant, Charles E.
1945-1946
30
Dant, Thomas W.
1949
30
Davenport, Russell W.
1948-1950
30
Davidson, C. Girard
1947-1951
30
Davis, Harry F.
1949-1951
30
Davis, Loy L.
1946-1960
30
DDT sprays
1957
30
Deal, Clyde W.
1945-1950
30
Debt
1954
30
DeCicco, Mike
1955-1961
30
Decker, Fred
1956-1957
30
Defense
1951-1960
30
Defense Production Act
1956
30
Defense program
1958-1960
30
DeJonge (Dirk) case
1950
30
DeMent, Jack
1946-1947
30
Democratic Declaration
1956
30
Democratic Party
1955-1956
31
Democratic Party
1957-1960
31
Democratic Party, National Committee
1954-1960
31
Democratic Party, Oregon
1957-1960
31
Democratic Party, Oregon, committee lists
1956, 1960
31
Democratic Party, Oregon, Election laws committee
1957-1960
31
Democratic Party, Oregon, Sen. Morse's registration and affiliation
1954-1958
32
Democratic Party, Oregon, volunteers and committee lists
1956
32
Democratic Party, Oregon, Multnomah County
1957-1960
32
Democratic Party national convention
1956-1960
32
Democratic Party, special (change in registration)
