Macpherson Family History, 2010

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Macpherson, Hector, Jr., 1918-
Title
Macpherson Family History
Dates
2010 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.05 cubic foot, (1 box)
Collection Number
MSS Macpherson
Summary
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.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

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.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

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.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Macpherson Family History, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

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. The Florence L. Kohlhagen Notebook consists of class notes for a course in rural sociology taught by Hector Macpherson (Senior) in 1923. The Archives holdings include a variety of collections that document the application of land use planning in Oregon, including records of the Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory (RG 218), Extension Service (RG 111), and Rockefeller Project (RG 161). The Oregon Counties Long-Range Planning Reports (PUB 006-16) document planning by Oregon counties prior to Senate Bill 100.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Education, Higher--Oregon.
  • Farm life--Oregon--Willamette River Valley.
  • Land use--Oregon--Planning.
  • World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.

Personal Names

  • Macpherson, Hector, 1875-1970.

Corporate Names

  • Oregon Agricultural College--Faculty.
  • Oregon State College--Students.
  • Oregon State System of Higher Education.

Family Names

  • McPherson family.

Geographical Names

  • Oregon--Politics and government--1951-

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Macpherson, Katharine Smith. (creator)