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Hannah Martin legislative correspondence

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: Ax 671

Scope and Contents

The correspondence is organized by session, and incoming and outgoing letters are mixed together. Sessions consist of the first and second sessions of 1933, and a 1933 special session, and the session of 1935.

Dates

  • 1933-1935

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

Hannah Martin (1894 - ) was an attorney who was educated at Willamette University School of Law. In 1933 and in 1935 she was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican and was the first woman in Oregon to be elected to that legislative body.

"Born Hannah Dautoff in Portland, Oregon, Dautoff and her siblings were raised by her widowed mother after Dautoff's father died in Skagway during the Alaska Gold Rush."

"Having only an eighth grade education, Dautoff was admitted to the Willamette University School of Law in Salem. Four years later she graduated and passed the state bar examination. Dautoff practiced law with her husband, Ivan Martin, an attorney and former legislator, specializing in domestic relations."

"In 1932, she was the first woman elected to the Oregon Legislature where she served four terms. She recalled later that she "was never looking for a fight, but...wasn't there to be stepped on, either...The year and issues change, but people don't change very much."

"In 1942 she cracked another all-male stronghold when she was elected Salem Municipal Judge, serving one term. Dautoff's marriage to Harry Hanzen led her to withdraw from her legal career, much to the disappointment of the police department whose members were ready to campaign for her second term."

"After retirement, Mrs. Hanzen served as president of the Salem Women's Club, corresponding secretary of the Oregon Federation of Women's Clubs, and Executive Secretary of the Marion County Bar Association. She also was an instructor at Willamette University."

"Mrs. Hanzen died in Portland, Oregon on June 20, 1989 at the age of 94. She was survived by her nephew, Boyd Davidson of that city, and Elspeth Alexander of Seattle."

[Source: written by Virginia Green, for the website - Salem Online History (salemhistory.net) provided by the Salem Public Library.

Bibliography: Duniway, David. " Hannah Hanzen" Panegyric, Salem, OR: Mission Mill Museum, Volume IV, April 11, 1975. (Note: Document courtesy of Marion County Historical Society, Salem, OR.)

Obituary. "Hannah Hanzen" Salem Statesman Journal, June 24, 1989, Page 2b.]

Extent

0.5 linear feet (1 container)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Hannah Martin (1894 - ) was an attorney and the first woman elected (in 1933 and in 1935) to the Oregon House of Representatives. The collection (1933-1935) contains legislative correspondence from constituents and other concerned parties, and replies from Martin.

Physical Description

1 manuscript box.

Title
Guide to the Hannah Martin Legislative Correspondence
Status
Complete Description
Author
Tanya Parlet.
Date
2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.
Sponsor
Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Repository Details

Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299 USA