She Flies with Her Own Wings

Courtesy of Paulus Norma TARA WATSON AND MELODY ROSE She Flies With Her Own Wings Women in the 1973 Oregon Legislative Session DURING THE 1973 OREGON legislative session, a bipartisan group of female legislators — almost half in their first session — worked with political activists and allies in the state capitol to pass eleven explicitly feminist bills into law. That such a small number of relatively inexperienced legislators was able to pass such a substantial portion of a feminist legislative agenda Tom McCall signs equal rights legislation. Witnesses are (left to right): Senate in just one session is unprecedented in the history of the Oregon legislature President Jason Boe, Speaker of the House Richard Eyman, Secretary of State Clay Myers, Representative Nancie Fadeley (Chair of the House Environment and and is due some historical analysis. It also makes for a great story. Natural Resources Committee), Representative Norma Paulus, and Representative Oregon’s female legislators were successful in the 17 session because Grace Peck. McCall’s note on the bottom reads, “Warm thanks, Norma, for that unique window of time produced a favorable political climate, sup- championing equal rights! Gov. Tom McCall Feb, 1973.” port of the male governor and male legislators, organizational strength of Oregon’s women’s organizations, and a sense of overall optimism within the Oregon women’s movement. Because of their experience, organizational competence, and ability to work together as a woman-identified group, ORAL HISTORY TRANSCRIPTS from Norma Paulus and Betty Roberts female legislators were able to utilize this brief period of ideal conditions — both members of the legislature during the 17 session — and Gretchen to pass feminist legislation rapidly into law. These conditions have not been Kafoury, who worked closely with the women legislators as a lobbyist, pro- replicated since in Oregon. This story is especially relevant to the historical vide a general picture of the political climate and women’s movement in record because general assessments of female state legislators in office during Oregon in the 170s and also reflect the considerable expertise and analysis the 170s describe only “token” female legislators who were characterized by of those involved. The oral history transcripts are supplemented by boxes unobtrusiveness, isolation from other women, and an inability to advocate of old papers, memoranda, and news clippings from the personal archives for group interests — demonstrably not the case during the 17 Oregon of Kafoury and Maurine Neuburger (who served in the legislature from legislative session. 150 to 154), now archived at Portland State University and University of OHQ vol. 111, no. 1 © 2010 Oregon Historical Society Watson and Rose, Women in the 1973 Oregon Legislative Session Oregon special collections, and by the electoral and non-electoral, cumulatively created the public opinion and 17 Oregon Women’s Political Caucus’ social shift necessary to pass feminist legislation. Quick Look booklet, a reference book created by activist Nancy Tuor, who ON JANUARY 18, 1854, the Oregon Territorial legislature adopted the methodically catalogued and summa- state motto “She Flies with Her Own Wings.”2 In a 17 article, historian rized the feminist legislation, votes, and D’Ann Campbell utilized the data from a 2,00-person sample of face- Courtesy of Gretchen Kafoury Courtesy of Gretchen background information immediately to-face interviews with women from California, Washington, Montana, following the 17 Oregon legislative Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico to session. Prior research on Portland poli- “reconstruct a profile of a western woman — her lifestyle, attitudes, plans tics, political theory, social movement for the future.” In analyzing the data, Campbell found a surprising “egalitar- theory, and the Equal Rights Amend- ian bent” in roughly one-third of Western women, who stated, “men’s and ment further supplements, supports, women’s moral standards should be the same.” These regional attitudes of and corroborates statements in the egalitarianism, excitement about life, and optimism had a significant impact oral histories and primary documents. on the continued activism of Oregon women into the mid twentieth century, Together, these sources contribute to a because they all contributed to a larger social message of Oregon women’s richer understanding of the accomplish- worth in the construction of a vibrant civil society and to Oregon’s formal ments of women in the 17 legislative and informal political process. Most significantly, recent scholars have found Activist Nancy Tuor created this session. The available material does not an increased number of female legislators in states, like Oregon, with a strong summary of feminist legislation in represent all of the people who worked cultural emphasis on fairness, equality, and morality.4 the 1973 session. The cover graphics to pass the legislation, however, so there That emphasis on an ethic of fairness and equality was present very early illustrate an understanding of exists an emphasis on a small group of in Oregon history. Prior to achieving suffrage, Oregon women organized feminism as important to both women that should not be read as an around the 105 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, working collabora- men and women, a belief reflected assertion that only they deserve credit tively to bring greater attention to women’s issues through suffrage activities within the pages. for the work. and the construction of a Sacagawea statue. A year later, Portland nurses The word feminism is heavily utilized traveled to San Francisco to assist in the rescue effort following the San in this article and is often misunderstood in contemporary discourse. The Francisco earthquake and fire. At the same time, Oregon women organized various American women’s movements lack consensus regarding this term for suffrage. Frustrated that several surrounding states had granted women and have continually reinterpreted its connotations throughout their his- the right to vote ahead of Oregon, local suffragists pressed ahead, ultimately tory. We utilized Tuor’s explanations in the 17 Oregon Women’s Political winning the right to vote in 112. That victory was before women won on Caucus Quick Look booklet to create historically grounded and contextually the national level in 120 through the Nineteenth Amendment but behind appropriate definitions for the narrow purposes of this article. The booklet Idaho, Washington, and California.5 is dedicated to “feminists, women and men” and defines feminism as the True to the regional emphasis on female activism and the “new morality” process of “creating a world of liberty and justice for all persons.”1 Given this of optimism in the West, the Oregon legislature has almost always had at context, we believe the women profiled in this article interpreted feminism least one female legislator since 115 — only three years after Oregon voters as a broad process of creating equality between the genders. They viewed granted women suffrage (the one exception is the 127 session). One of these feminist legislation, another term found in this article, as legislation that notable female state legislators is the Honorable Betty Roberts, who acted as supported equality between the genders by opening opportunity, prevent- a bridge between the earliest cohort of female legislators, who were elected ing discrimination, and addressing policy issues that had previously been as “placeholders” to replace husbands or fathers, and the next generation of ignored by male legislators. Work to pass feminist legislation was just one female legislators, who were elected in their own right, beginning in larger part of the many formal and informal efforts by Oregonian women during numbers in 172. Looking back on her transformation from private citizen the late twentieth century to improve the lives of women. All of these efforts, to public official, Roberts commented that, “it just seemed to fall into place,” 40 OHQ vol. 111, no. 1 Watson and Rose, Women in the 1973 Oregon Legislative Session 41 75 which suggests she benefitted Figure 1: Female State Legislators Oregon 1961–1989 006 immensely from regional social mores about the public role of women that Campbell noted in 24 22 her study and from the continual 20 OHS digital no. bb OHS digital no. presence of female legislators in 1 Total Oregon since 12.6 16 Roberts, who went on to 14 House become Oregon’s first female 12 Senate 10 state Supreme Court Justice, got her formal political start 6 like many female activists of the 4 160s — as a volunteer.7 Her 2 interest in politics was piqued 0 1 7 5 61 6 65 67 6 71 7 75 77 7 as a returning college student 983 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 at Portland State College (now Portland State University) in the 150s. With her “growing inter- Source: Oregon State Archives, Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide, Oregon State Archives: Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide, Oregon Secretary of State, http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/ est in politics,” Roberts decided legislative/histleg/statehood/statehood.htm (accessed October 5, 200). Betty Roberts is photographed here on to run for the Oregon House of September 24, 1964, the year she won her Representatives in 162. In 161, first election. The Oregon House had a total of six female Representatives, out of sixty total seats, and eleven retain it until the 160s. In 165, when Roberts first took office, there were women in the entire legislature (Figure 1). Disappointed when she lost this seven other women in the Oregon legislature. first race, Roberts decided to pursue a doctorate in political science. Though Newspaper articles from both national and local outlets about Oregon’s she was highly qualified, she was nonetheless denied the chance to apply to early (pre-170s) female legislators were rife with stereotypes, and these the Political Science doctoral program at University of Oregon.

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