L. B. Day (February 22, 1932 – October 24, 1986) was an American

labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

leader and elected official in the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Day served as an International Brotherhood of Teamsters official, state representative, state senator, and appointed official in both the Oregon state executive office and the

U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

. A longtime supporter of the Oregon State Fair, the L. B. Day Comcast Amphitheatre on the Oregon State Fairgrounds in

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

is named in his honor.

Early life

Day was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

to Neva and L. B. Day (1889 – 1938), who was a Nebraska Supreme Court justice. Day attended the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

for a year before moving to Oregon. He graduated from Willamette University in 1958, earning a B.A. in political science and history. He attended Willamette Law School for a year before turning his attention full-time to union activism.

Teamsters activism

Day began working for Teamsters Local 670 in 1958. This local represented cannery workers in Oregon's

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...

. Author Brent Walth noted that Day viewed his role with the Teamsters as a crusader, working to clean up a union often accused of connections to organized crime. Day's brother Frank noted Day's "talent for persuading people." Day quickly rose from working as a union organizer of cannery workers to serving as secretary-general of the local.

Oregon House

Day was elected to the

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 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

as a Democrat in 1964, representing Salem's House District 31. He was reelected in 1966 and 1968 before deciding to focus once more upon his union duties. In 1967, he switched parties and became a Republican. Walth describes this shift as one of practicality: "The Republicans were in charge of the house and L.B. Day wanted to win."

Appointed positions

In 1970, Day was appointed as a regional director for the

under Interior Secretary

Walter Hickel Walter Joseph Hickel (August 18, 1919 – May 7, 2010) was an American businessman, real estate developer, and politician who served as the second governor of Alaska from 1966 to 1969 and 1990 to 1994 and as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1 ...

. When President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

fired Hickel, Day returned to Oregon and was appointed soon after to serve as Governor

Tom McCall Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 January 8, 1983) was an American statesman, politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the state's thirtieth governor from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, McCall grew up th ...

's first director of the newly formed Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. During 1973 negotiations over Oregon's landmark comprehensive land-use planning legislation, Senate Bill 100, Day played a vital role in developing the compromises necessary to move SB 100 through the Senate. He then served as the first chairman of the new state Land Conservation and Development Commission in 1974.

Oregon Senate

In 1977, Day was appointed to the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US 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 Sena ...

to fill the term of Wallace Carson following Carson's appointment to the Marion County Circuit Court. He was reelected to District 16 of the Oregon Senate in his own right in 1978 and 1982. Day was running for reelection at the time of his death, from a heart attack suffered during a fundraiser for fellow Salem Republican C. T. "Cub" Houck.

Reputation

Day was known as a hard working, irascible, and ornery public figure noted for his intensity. Governor Tom McCall once said of his friend and political ally, "You have to understand L. B. He starts negotiations at the death struggle." In the literature for his 1986 reelection campaign, Day admitted "I have been accused of being aggressive to a fault. No question that is a failing," he went on, "but my temperature rises when I see time wasted, money frittered away and elected officials dodging issues."

Personal life

Day had a daughter, Melissa, from a brief first marriage. He and his wife Cindy had one son, Frank. "L. B." was his full given name. He served four years in the U.S. Navy. Despite his reputation as a ruthless politician, Day had a softer side — and a sense of humor. Each Christmas in the early 1980s, Day, Oregon Governor Victor Atiyeh, and Salem ''

Statesman-Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

'' political columnist Ron Blankenbaker delivered Christmas presents to the needy using proceeds from "Pompous Twit" awards bestowed annually by Blankenbaker upon elected officials, journalists, and others. The "Twit of the Year" was asked to donate time and money to help the needy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, L. B. 1932 births 1986 deaths Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Oregon Democrats Oregon Republicans Oregon state senators Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska Politicians from Salem, Oregon International Brotherhood of Teamsters people United States Department of the Interior officials University of Nebraska–Lincoln people Willamette University alumni Willamette University College of Law alumni 20th-century American politicians Trade unionists from Oregon Trade unionists from Nebraska