A brochure from US Congressman Les AuCoin's 1984 re-election campaign for Oregon's 1st District. The brochure features two photographs of Congressman AuCoin, as well as a description of his background and a list of his then recent achievements in Congress, with subtitles such as "Chopping the Federal Deficit," "Ending The Nuclear Arms Race," "Fighting for Women's Rights," "Protecting Our Timber, Fishing Industries," "Protecting Our Environment," "Inveseting In Our Young People," and "Preparing Our Economy For The Future."
A brochure from one of US Congressman Les AuCoin's re-election campaigns for Oregon's 1st District in the early 1980s (1982 or 1984, most likely). The brochure features photographs of Congressman AuCoin, as well as a description of his background and a list of his then recent achievements in Congress, with subtitles such as "Fighting high interest rates," "Pressing for peace," "Pulling the plug on Watt," "Kepping Social Security secure," "Creating housing jobs," "Saving our smaller mills," "Preparing our ports for coal," "Protecting our fishermen," and "Delivering roadbuilding jobs."
A pamphlet from US Congressman Les AuCoin's 1986 re-election campaign for Oregon's 1st District. The pamphlet features a candid portrait of Congressman AuCoin and a photograph of him and his family. Additionally, the pamphlet includes a description of his background and a list of his then recent accomplishments in Congress, including his work that stopped the federal government from dumping liquid nuclear waste into the soil in Hanford, Washington; passing legislation to help the US Coast Guard build a rescue helicopter station in Newport, Oregon; using his role in the Appropriations Committee to allocate $60 million in federal highway funds that created jobs in eastern Washington County; his help in passing a timber contract relief bill that prevented the bankruptcy of dozens of Oregon mills and the loss of hundreds of millworker jobs; using his role in the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to help establish Navy contracts for Portland shipyards; and convincing President Ronald Reagan and Congress to pass "the AuCoin amendment" which banned the testing of anti-satellite weapons.
A booklet from US Congressman Les AuCoin's first campaign for Oregon's 1st District in 1974. The booklet features photographs of AuCoin, descriptions of his background as an Oregon state representative, and a list of what he hoped to accomplish as a US congressman. Pat McCormick, Chief of Staff for AuCoin when he was Oregon House Majority Leader (1973-1974), had noted in private communications that this booklet is "an example of a tabloid-size mini newspaper with large photos and major messages in headlines, one to a page. We 'borrowed' that format from Joe Biden who'd used in his first (1972) campaign for the Senate."
A pamphlet from US Congressman Les AuCoin's first campaign for Oregon's 1st Congressional District in 1974. The pamphlet features numerous photographs of AuCoin, descriptions of his personal background and record as Oregon House Majority Leader, including his legislative efforts and accomplishments relating to the economy, the gasoline shortage, political reform, workers' benefits, health care, consumer protection, farming, and offshore fisheries.
A flyer from US Congressman Les AuCoin's 1976 re-election campaign for Oregon's 1st District. The flyer features two photographs of Congressman AuCoin, a list of some of his then recent accomplishments, and some of his legislative goals for 1977-- including tax reform, establishing national health insurance, protecting the environment, restraining government spending, and protecting social security. The back of the flyer is titled "Les AuCoin makes a big difference in Clatsop County" and features a list of his accomplishments in the county, such as his work for the Knappa Water Association and passing legislation to finance public works projects.
A booklet from US Congressman Les AuCoin's 1980 re-election campaign for Oregon's 1st District. The flyer features numerous photographs of Congressman AuCoin and his family, descriptions of his personal and legislative background, and a list of his then recent accomplishments and goals, including keeping a balanced federal budget, using federal funds to stimulate new housing, advocating for safe renewable energy and condemning the building of nuclear power plants, advocating for Oregon farmers and small business owners in the immediate aftermath of the Mount St. Helens eruption.
A rack card from US Congressman Les AuCoin's 1976 re-election campaign for Oregon's 1st District. The rack card features a photograph of Congressman AuCoin, and gives a description of his background and his accomplishments in Congress, describing his sponsoring of "laws to halt 'tight money' and high interest rates, to stimulate housing and create jobs....bills to put all government spending on a 'show-results-or-else' base; voted to halt foreign aid to countries which refuse to pay debts to America....[and] voted to close $3 billion in tax loopholes." The rack card also describes how AuCoin had "a 100% voting record on Common Cause and League of Women Voter issues."
A campaign pamphlet from US Congressman Les AuCoin's 1980 re-election campaign for Oregon's 1st District. The pamphlet features of photograph of Congressman AuCoin, and describes his then recent legislative record and accomplishments, including voting no on the 1979 Chrysler bailout, taxing Social Security benefits, hiking the gas tax 10 cents, the B-1 "boondoggle" and the MX Missile, "extravagant" federal spending, and withholding interest earnings on savings; voting yes on "a truly balanced budget," helping senior citizens pay for heating bills, establishing the Solar Bank, increasing the pay for American soldiers, reforestation, new housing, the maritime fleet, and raising "the amount of interest small savers can earn." The pamphlet also describes his work helping Oregon farmers and small business owners following the Mount St. Helens eruption, keeping Amtrak's Pioneer train running, keeping downtown hotels converted into apartments for low-income seniors open, helping Tillamook lengthen their jetty, helping the town of Aloha with issues with the Post Office, and helping to reunite three orphan sisters within a Hillsboro family.
A 1982 AuCoin re-election campaign ad printed in The Advocate magazine, describing US Congressman Les AuCoin's history of supporting the gay community. The first page is a message from the Human Rights Campaign Fund to the office of Les AuCoin regarding the details of the ad.
A clipping of an Oregonian newspaper article describing US Congressman Les AuCoin's emergence as a national leader in Congress after 15 years in the US House of Representatives. The article, which was published on January 22, 1990, describes his legislative history, including his leading of pro-choice activists in the House, his role on the House Appropriations Committee, and his future legislative goals relating to forest research, timber appeals, timber communities, the Tri-Met expansion to downtown Hillsboro, export licensing, and capital gains tax legislation. The article features a photograph of AuCoin in Portland.
A letter from Oregon journalist and author Ron Abell to US Congressman Les AuCoin, dated January 5, 2010, reflecting on Oregon politics in the 1960s and 1970s. Attached are two chapters of Abell's unpublished memoir describing his experiences working for The Oregonian in 1964 and the Palisadian-Post (of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California) in 1962.
US Congressman Les AuCoin's typewritten journal from November and December 1982. The journal describes his everyday life as a member of Congress, such as giving an address to the Oregon Sierra Club, having a discussion with an anti-missile and nuclear freeze activist group, meeting with a political advisory committee regarding the Balanced Budget Constituional Amendment, talks surrounding an Oregon wilderness bill, meeting with the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, meeting with Senator Mark Hatfield, voting against "the vaunted 'Infrastructure/Jobs Bill,'" giving a house floor speech on the Defense Appropriations Bill on the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, receiving a conference report for the Transportation Appropriations Bil, and his work on the "automobile 'domestic content' bill" that affected the Port of Portland and the electronics industry.
A study of the 1974 election by Yaden Associates, Inc. titled "Les AuCoin v. Diarmuid O'Scannlain: The Race for Congress in Oregon's First District." As described in the table of contents, the study covered the method used in the study, the division of the vote (the strength of commitment, likelihood to vote, and choice for Congress by area and group), attitudes toward the race and the candidates (opinions of the candidates), issues in the race for Congress (national problem, demands on congressman, rating of Congress, rating of [Wendall] Wyatt's performance, prosecution of Nixon, wage and price controls, log exports, environment, and jobs and economy).
A 32-page memoir by Oregon journalist and author Ron Abell titled "Some Personal Observations on the Wayne Morse Re-Election Campaign of 1968," written in September 2005. In his memoir, Abell detailed his experiences and what he witnessed as a salaried employee of the 1968 Re-Elect Wayne Morse Committee for the US Senate, including the campaign's finances, the primary election, how Vietnam was viewed as a campaign issue, how the press treated the campaign, his perspective of the Bob Packwood campaign, and how the Morse campaign ultimately failed. The Robert "Bobby" Kennedy presidential campaign is notably mentioned.
In-depth analysis comparing the legislative history of Oregon State Representatives Les AuCoin and Hugh McGilvra in 1974. As Rep. AuCoin ran for and won the election for Oregon's 1st congressional district in the US House of Representatives that year, this analysis was more than likely requested or put together by his campaign. Compared legislative positions include those on Oregon House bills on a cigarette tax, property tax relief, a port tax, an airport tax exemption, gas tax freeing, pollution prohibition, Highway Division and Tourist Information, teachers' fair dismissal, campus claims, the department of education budget, educational districts contracting, tax/education, ballot information, the legislative compensation committee, compulsory retirement, newsletter, veterans funding, agriculture, and farm labor camps. There are also sections summarizing each state representative's respective legislative proposal history.
An excerpt of the Oregonian article "We don't have time for this" by Steve Duin, first published on March 19, 1992, and reprinted by the Les AuCoin for Senate Committee. Duin's article analyzes the 1992 House banking scandal in Congress, of which AuCoin was later cleared of any wrongdoing by the US Department of Justice. In 1992, an investigation discovered that hundreds of members of Congress had overdrafted their House bank accounts numerous times, although it was found that the vast majority did so unintentionally -- as the House bank system did not properly alert members of their overdrafts and delayed processing deposits -- and did not break any laws. Duin describes the scandal as "absurdly overblown," defending both Congressman Peter DeFazio and Congressman Les AuCoin.
US Congressman Les AuCoin's 37-page-long journal describing the immediate months following his win in the 1974 US House of Representatives election. Providing a picture of how Congress operates behind the scenes, AuCoin writes in detail about his transition from Oregon to Washington, D.C.; the process of hiring congressional staff; attending the Democratic mini-Convention in Kansas City; him, his wife Sue, and their children Stacy and Kelly moving into a condominium apartment in Washington, D.C. from their house in Forest Grove, Oregon; the attention he received from the media and fellow politicians; the four-day train trip through America's heartland; his swearing-in ceremony on the US House floor; attending President Gerald Ford's State of the Union address; his first markup session in the Banking, Currency, and Housing Committee; his first time successfully legislating with the Emergency Middle-Income Housing Act in the Housing Subcommittee; scheduling town meetings back home for his constituents, writing a letter to one of his campaign staff's sons to encourage him to finish high school; his first embassy party with his wife Sue at the West Germany embassy; and congressional discussions on the Vietnam Humanitarian Assistance and Evacuation Act of 1975. On the Democratic Party in 1975, AuCoin stated: "All of which means, in my judgement, that there must be a new dogma in the Democratic Party -- a new impetus for cost-consciousness and performance accountability in government programs. The old pork chop vote of the New Deal days is gone forever. You just can't spend a million dollars for this, or that -- or create a new federal office for this, or that -- and win the hearts and minds of the voters in either party today.... People just distrust government -- they distrust its morality and ethics and they distrust its ability to solve problems....Certainly, the party cannot thrive in the '70s and '80s if, intellectually, it's still serving warmed-over New Dealism."
Photocopy of an excerpt from the 1980 Oregon general election voters' pamphlet. The excerpt features the front cover and the page for US Congressman Les AuCoin's profile.
A photocopy of HR6026, the Columbia River Gorge Act of 1982. The bill was introduced by Representative James Weaver and supported by Representative Les AuCoin in the U.S. 97th Congress but never passed. A similiar bill introduced by Rep. Weaver passed and became law in 1986 in the 99th Congress as HR5705, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act.
A handwritten list of dates in 1980 of US Congressman Les AuCoin's important speechs, accomplishments, events, and statements. A year seemingly focused on environmental and economic concerns, some notable subjects listed include "MFN Status of China," "Community Energy Conservation Act HR 7136," "Tillamook YMCA bill," several bills relating to the Siletz Indians, "Maritime Education and Training Act HR 5451," tesimony on the housing and timber industries, and the "Northwest Electric Power Bill."
Remarks by Mark Gaede on behalf of US Congressman Les AuCoin before the Oregon Chapter of the National Committee on the Prevention of Child Abuse, delivered on November 19th, 1982. In his remarks, Gaede discussed AuCoin's track record with the organization and in Congress, AuCoin's support of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act, and AuCoin's opposition to the Family Protection Act supported by the Ronald Reagan Administration.
A speech by Paul Romain on behalf of US Congressman Les AuCoin at a candidates fair with employees of PGE, Intel, Floating Points, and General Telephone in Oregon on October 12, 1982. In his speech, Romain provided a track record of Congressman AuCoin's career and discussed the critical issues prioritized by his campaign for re-election in Oregon's 1st Congressional District, including the economy, unemployment, and the environment. Romain especially asserted that AuCoin had fought against the Reaganomics that had created large deficits in the federal budgets, weakened the economy, and bankrupted businesses and Americans.
A letter from US Congressman Les AuCoin to a congressional colleague advocating for a proposed bill that encouraged gleaning. Gleaning is the process of collecting leftover crops from a field that has already been commercially harvested. The proposed amendment aimed to encourage more farmers to donate gleaned crops by offering them a 10% tax credit against their income taxes for contributions of crops to charitable groups, which in turn could be used to feed the hungry, particularly low income, elderly, and disabled Americans. Congressman AuCoin described how Oregon was a pioneer of modern gleaning programs.
