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Macpherson Family History, 2010

By Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Nielsen.

Collection Overview

Title: Macpherson Family History, 2010

ID: MSS Macpherson

Primary Creator: Macpherson, Hector, Jr. (1918-)

Extent: 0.05 cubic feet. More info below.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

This family history consists of the monograph, The Macpherson Family Through Four Generations, written by Hector Macpherson, Jr. Macpherson graduated from Oregon State College in 1940 and, as an Oregon State Senator, was instrumental in development of Oregon's land use planning system with passage of Senate Bill 100 in 1973.

Scope and Content Notes

This family history consists of the monograph, The Macpherson Family Through Four Generations, written by Hector Macpherson, Jr. and edited by his daughter, Janet Macpherson Wershow, and granddaughters, Eleanor Wershow and Kate Rosson. The book describes the author's childhood in Corvallis and growing up on the family's farm; his student years at Oregon State College and service in World War II; farming in the Willamette Valley near Albany and Corvallis; his public service in county planning and the development of Oregon's land use planning system; and his work as an Oregon state senator and member of the Land Conservation and Development Commission. Also of note are descriptions of his father's education and career as a faculty member at Oregon Agricultural College and his participation during the 1920s and 1930s in the re-organization of higher education in Oregon and establishment of the Oregon State System of Higher Education.

The monograph also describes the activities and family of of Hector's great-grandfather, Hector Macpherson, who lived in Scotland, as well as his own children. Others included are Hector Junior's sister Miriam Macpherson Holman and his mother Margaret Dupee Macpherson. Recollections and remembrances written by Hector Junior's wife, Katharine (Kitty Brownell Smith Macpherson) are also part of the volume.

Biographical / Historical Notes

The author of this family history, Hector Macpherson (referred to as Hector Junior in the monograph), graduated from Oregon State College in 1940 with a BS in Agriculture. After serving in World War II, Macpherson returned to Oregon in 1945 and took over his family's farm southwest of Albany, Oregon. He became active in county planning efforts and was elected to the Oregon Senate in 1970. Macpherson was a co-sponsor of Senate Bill (SB) 100 which established Oregon's land use planning system when it was passed in 1973. Macpherson served only one term in the Senate, but served 10 years on the Land Conservation and Development Commission which was established by SB 100.

Hector Junior was born in 1918, the son of Hector (referrred to as Hector Senior in the monograph) and Margaret Macpherson. Hector Senior was a faculty member in economics and sociology at Oregon Agricultural College from 1911 until 1926, when he resigned to offer his services to the movement for reorganization of higher education in Oregon. He was elected to the State Legislature in 1927, 1929, and 1939. Hector Senior lead an intiative petition on the November 1932 general election ballot, known as the Zorn-Macpherson School Moving Bill, that provided for the consolidation of the University of Oregon and Oregon State College and moving of other higher education campuses. Hector Senior's parents (who had been born in Scotland) emigrated to Canada prior to 1875. Hector Senior was born in in 1875 in Dufferin County, Ontario, Canada. He died in 1970 in Corvallis, Oregon.

Hector Junior's great-grandfather was also named Hector Macpherson; he lived in Scotland from 1828 until his death in 1908.

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 1 box

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: This publication was donated to the Archives by the author in 2010.

Related Materials: Additional materials documenting efforts at consolidation of campuses and reorganization of higher education in Oregon are available in the Zorn-Macpherson Bill Collection (MSS ZornMacpherson). The Florence L. Kohlhagen Notebook (MSS Kohlhagen) consists of class notes for a course in rural sociology taught by Hector Macpherson (Senior) in 1923. The Special Collections and Archives Research Center holdings include a variety of collections that document the application of land use planning in Oregon, including the Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory Records (RG 218), Extension Service Records (RG 111), and Rockefeller Project Projects (RG 161). The Oregon Counties Long-Range Planning Reports (PUB 006-16) document planning by Oregon counties prior to Senate Bill 100.

Preferred Citation: Macpherson Family History, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Creators

Macpherson, Hector, Jr. (1918-)
Macpherson, Katharine Smith

People, Places, and Topics

Education, Higher--Oregon.
Farm life--Oregon--Willamette River Valley.
Land use--Oregon--Planning.
Macpherson, Hector, 1875-1970
McPherson family.
Natural Resources
Oregon--Politics and government--1951-
Oregon Agricultural College--Faculty.
Oregon State College--Students.
Oregon State System of Higher Education
University History
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.


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