Harry D. Boivin
Encyclopedia
Harry Dolan Boivin was an Oregon
lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives
for four terms, from 1935 through 1942. He also served in the Oregon State Senate
from 1955 to 1972. He held the position of Speaker of the House during the 1937 legislative session, and was President of the Oregon Senate during the 1961 and 1965 sessions. Boivin was known as "The Fox" for his expertise in parliamentary procedure
s and ability to build coalitions within legislature. For almost a decade in the 1960s and early 1970s, Boivin and a small group of rural
conservative Democrats
joined Republicans
to control the state senate.
on February 7, 1904, the son of Henry and Nellie Boivin. The family moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon
in 1906. He received a bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University
; then went on to earn a law degree from the university.
In 1923, Boivin became an associate in a Klamath Falls law firm headed by Claude McColloch. When McColloch was appointed to the United States District Court
in the 1930s, Boivin continued in a one-man law practice.
In 1934, Boivin married Vivian McCauley. Together they had two children.
. He was re-elected in 1937. At that time, he was only 33 years old. When his peers in the House of Representatives elected him speaker, he became the youngest speaker in Oregon history. He went on to serve two more terms as a state representative, holding his seat through 1942.
During World War II
, Boivin worked in the United States Attorney
's office in Portland, Oregon
. After the war, he resumed his private law practice in Klamath Falls. He spearheaded the drive to establish the Oregon Institute of Technology
in Klamath Falls, which opened in 1947.
In 1955, Boivin was elected to the Oregon State Senate. He served in the senate for the next 18 years, completing his last term in 1972. During his tenure in the senate, Boivin’s colleagues elected him Senate president twice, in 1961 and 1965.
For almost a decade in the 1960s and early 1970s, Boivin and a small group of conservative Democrats joined the Republican minority to control the senate. During this period, various conservative Democrats were elected president of the senate with the help of Republican senators. The senate president then appointed other members of the conservative Democratic clique to chair key committees with the rest of the committee chairmanships going to Republicans. This arrangement gave Boivin great influence within the senate.
In 1964, he helped move the Oregon Institute of Technology to a new campus overlooking Upper Klamath Lake
. He also persuaded Republican governor Tom McCall
to move the headquarters of the Oregon Air National Guard
from Portland to Klamath Falls. When the United States Air Force
considered closing Kingsley Field
, Boivin joined forces with McCall and Oregon’s representatives in the United States Congress
to keep the base open.
In 1971, Boivin played a key role in the ratification of the 26th Amendment
to the United States Constitution
, which lowered the national voting age to 18. This occurred during a period when Governor McCall was out of the state and the president of the senate, John D. Burns, was acting governor. As president pro tempore of the senate, Boivin presided over the senate when Burns was acting governor. Boivin and Burns were both conservative Democrats who allied themselves with the Republican minority to control the senate. However, in the case of the 26th Amendment, Burns had been holding the ratification bill in committee while Boivin wanted it brought before the full senate for a vote. When Burns became acting governor, Boivin took advantage of his position as presiding officer in the senate to appoint two new members to the committee considering the amendment. Both of the new members favored the amendment, and with their help the resolution was reported out of committee. When Burns returned to the senate, he refused to allow a vote on the bill. This prompted 14 Democratic senators to walk out of the assembly, leaving the body without a quorum. Burns directed the Oregon State Police
to find the missing senators and bring them back to the capitol. Over the course of the next three days, telephone negotiations resulted in a deal to allow the senate to vote on the amendment. Oregon ratified the 26th Amendment on July 1, 1971, thanks in large part to Boivin’s committee stacking maneuver.
It was such parliamentary maneuvers that earned Boivin the nickname The Fox. After his retirement from the legislature, The Oregon Journal said: "Harry Boivin was a master of the art of wheeling and dealing." The article also noted that Boivin took pride in his nickname because it underscored his ability to get things done.
. He was also a member of the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce
board of directors, and a member of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education
and served on the Governor's Commission on Senior Services.
Boivin was honored by the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce in 1980 for his contributions to the local business community. In 1992, he received an honorary doctorate of technology degree from the Oregon Institute of Technology. The college also honored him with a special service award in 1995..
His wife, Vivian, died in 1985. In 1986, he married Ruth S. Padgett. Boivin died on 15 March 1999 in Medford, Oregon
, at the age of 95. He was interred at the Klamath Memorial Park in Klamath Falls.
Throughout his life, Boivin was a great supporter of education. As a state legislator, he was the driving force behind the establishment of the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls. He established a $1.25 million trust fund for the college in 1995. In 2000, one of the academic buildings at the Oregon Institute of Technology was re-named in his honor.
Today, Boivin’s personal papers are archived in the Shaw Historical Library at the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The collection includes legislature booklets, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and family papers covering the period 1935 to 1971.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
for four terms, from 1935 through 1942. He also served in the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
from 1955 to 1972. He held the position of Speaker of the House during the 1937 legislative session, and was President of the Oregon Senate during the 1961 and 1965 sessions. Boivin was known as "The Fox" for his expertise in parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings and other operations of clubs, organizations, legislative bodies, and other deliberative assemblies...
s and ability to build coalitions within legislature. For almost a decade in the 1960s and early 1970s, Boivin and a small group of rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
conservative Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
joined Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to control the state senate.
Early life
Boivin was born in Ashland, OregonAshland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
on February 7, 1904, the son of Henry and Nellie Boivin. The family moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Falls is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867, after the Link River on whose falls this city sat, although no falls currently exist; the name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892...
in 1906. He received a bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
; then went on to earn a law degree from the university.
In 1923, Boivin became an associate in a Klamath Falls law firm headed by Claude McColloch. When McColloch was appointed to the United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
in the 1930s, Boivin continued in a one-man law practice.
In 1934, Boivin married Vivian McCauley. Together they had two children.
Political career
Boivin, a Democrat, was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1935, representing Klamath CountyKlamath County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge* Crater Lake National Park * Deschutes National Forest * Fremont National Forest * Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge* Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge...
. He was re-elected in 1937. At that time, he was only 33 years old. When his peers in the House of Representatives elected him speaker, he became the youngest speaker in Oregon history. He went on to serve two more terms as a state representative, holding his seat through 1942.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Boivin worked in the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
's office in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. After the war, he resumed his private law practice in Klamath Falls. He spearheaded the drive to establish the Oregon Institute of Technology
Oregon Institute of Technology
Oregon Institute of Technology, also known as Oregon Tech or OIT, is an accredited university in the Oregon University System, and the only public institute of technology in the northwest United States. Located in Klamath Falls, Oregon, it provides undergraduate and graduate degrees in many...
in Klamath Falls, which opened in 1947.
In 1955, Boivin was elected to the Oregon State Senate. He served in the senate for the next 18 years, completing his last term in 1972. During his tenure in the senate, Boivin’s colleagues elected him Senate president twice, in 1961 and 1965.
For almost a decade in the 1960s and early 1970s, Boivin and a small group of conservative Democrats joined the Republican minority to control the senate. During this period, various conservative Democrats were elected president of the senate with the help of Republican senators. The senate president then appointed other members of the conservative Democratic clique to chair key committees with the rest of the committee chairmanships going to Republicans. This arrangement gave Boivin great influence within the senate.
In 1964, he helped move the Oregon Institute of Technology to a new campus overlooking Upper Klamath Lake
Upper Klamath Lake
Upper Klamath Lake is a large, shallow freshwater lake east of the Cascade Range in south central Oregon in the United States. The largest freshwater body in Oregon, it is approximately 20 mi long and 8 mi wide and extends northwest from the city of Klamath Falls...
. He also persuaded Republican governor Tom McCall
Tom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall was an American politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the 30th Governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, he grew up there and in Central Oregon before attending the University of Oregon...
to move the headquarters of the Oregon Air National Guard
Oregon Air National Guard
The Oregon Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is, along with the Oregon Army National Guard, an element of the Oregon National Guard...
from Portland to Klamath Falls. When the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
considered closing Kingsley Field
Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base
Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Oregon Air National Guard 173d Fighter Wing.-Overview:The 173d Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard occupies of leased land on the Klamath Falls Airport, located approximately southeast of Klamath Falls, Oregon...
, Boivin joined forces with McCall and Oregon’s representatives in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to keep the base open.
In 1971, Boivin played a key role in the ratification of the 26th Amendment
Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution limited the minimum voting age to no more than 18. It was adopted in response to student activism against the Vietnam War and to partially overrule the Supreme Court's decision in Oregon v. Mitchell...
to the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
, which lowered the national voting age to 18. This occurred during a period when Governor McCall was out of the state and the president of the senate, John D. Burns, was acting governor. As president pro tempore of the senate, Boivin presided over the senate when Burns was acting governor. Boivin and Burns were both conservative Democrats who allied themselves with the Republican minority to control the senate. However, in the case of the 26th Amendment, Burns had been holding the ratification bill in committee while Boivin wanted it brought before the full senate for a vote. When Burns became acting governor, Boivin took advantage of his position as presiding officer in the senate to appoint two new members to the committee considering the amendment. Both of the new members favored the amendment, and with their help the resolution was reported out of committee. When Burns returned to the senate, he refused to allow a vote on the bill. This prompted 14 Democratic senators to walk out of the assembly, leaving the body without a quorum. Burns directed the Oregon State Police
Oregon State Police
The Oregon State Police is the main state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. They have been charged to enforce all of Oregon's criminal laws and to help local law enforcement agencies with their duties...
to find the missing senators and bring them back to the capitol. Over the course of the next three days, telephone negotiations resulted in a deal to allow the senate to vote on the amendment. Oregon ratified the 26th Amendment on July 1, 1971, thanks in large part to Boivin’s committee stacking maneuver.
It was such parliamentary maneuvers that earned Boivin the nickname The Fox. After his retirement from the legislature, The Oregon Journal said: "Harry Boivin was a master of the art of wheeling and dealing." The article also noted that Boivin took pride in his nickname because it underscored his ability to get things done.
Later life
After leaving the state Senate in 1972, Boivin continued to practice law in Klamath Falls. Over the years, he held a number of other positions including chairman of the Oregon Liquor Control CommissionOregon Liquor Control Commission
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is a government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. The OLCC was created by an act of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1933, days after the repeal of prohibition, as a means of providing control over the distribution, sales and consumption of alcoholic...
. He was also a member of the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
board of directors, and a member of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education
Oregon State Board of Higher Education
The Oregon State Board of Higher Education is the statutory governing board for the Oregon University System. The board is composed of eleven members appointed by the Governor of Oregon and confirmed by the Oregon State Senate...
and served on the Governor's Commission on Senior Services.
Boivin was honored by the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce in 1980 for his contributions to the local business community. In 1992, he received an honorary doctorate of technology degree from the Oregon Institute of Technology. The college also honored him with a special service award in 1995..
His wife, Vivian, died in 1985. In 1986, he married Ruth S. Padgett. Boivin died on 15 March 1999 in Medford, Oregon
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
, at the age of 95. He was interred at the Klamath Memorial Park in Klamath Falls.
Legacy
After his death in 1999, the 70th Oregon Legislative Assembly passed a concurrent resolution honoring Boivin for his 26 years of service as a citizen legislator. The resolution recognized his many legislative accomplishments and highlighted his ability to build coalitions across political and ideological boundaries for the benefit of the state of Oregon and its people.Throughout his life, Boivin was a great supporter of education. As a state legislator, he was the driving force behind the establishment of the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls. He established a $1.25 million trust fund for the college in 1995. In 2000, one of the academic buildings at the Oregon Institute of Technology was re-named in his honor.
Today, Boivin’s personal papers are archived in the Shaw Historical Library at the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The collection includes legislature booklets, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and family papers covering the period 1935 to 1971.