Wendell Wyatt (June 15, 1917 – January 28, 2009) was an American attorney and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Oregon's 1st congressional district Oregon's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S state of Oregon. The district stretches from Portland's western suburbs and exurbs, to parts of the Oregon coast. The district includes the principal cities of ...

who served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1964 until 1975.

Life before Congress

Born in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

, Wyatt's family later moved to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

where he graduated from Jefferson High School in 1935. He received his

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in 1941. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

from 1942 until 1946. Following the war, Wyatt moved to Astoria, where he joined the law firm of former Oregon governor

A. W. Norblad Albin Walter Norblad Sr., (March 19, 1881 – April 17, 1960) was a prominent lawyer who lived in Astoria, Oregon, United States, and the 19th Governor of Oregon from 1929 to 1931. He was a Republican. He was the father of A. Walter N ...

. He was Chairman of the Oregon State Republican Central committee from 1955 until 1957. In 1962, Wyatt married Faye Hill; he had previously married and divorced Anne Buchanan.

U.S. Congress

In 1964, he won a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

A. Walter Norblad Albin Walter Norblad Jr. (September 12, 1908 – September 20, 1964), was an American attorney and Republican politician in Oregon. He represented the U.S. state of Oregon's First District from January 18, 1946, until his death from a heart att ...

, the son of Wyatt's law partner. Wyatt was reelected to the four succeeding Congresses. In Congress, Wyatt served on the Interior Committee and the Appropriations Committee, where he helped pass bills that created Oregon's

Scoggins Dam Scoggins is a surname, and may refer to: * Charles Elbert Scoggins (1888–1955), American writer * Gustavus Scoggin, An American pioneer for whom Scoggins Creek and Scoggins Dam are named * Jerry Scoggins (1913–2004), American country singer * ...

Scoggins Creek Scoggins Creek, formerly known as "Scoggin Creek", is a tributary of the Tualatin River in Tillamook and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is named for pioneer settler Gustavus Scoggin. Surrounded by lava and basalt flows and l ...

, established a 40-foot shipping channel in the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

from Astoria to Portland, created the Cascade Head Scenic Area, and purchased ranch land to be converted to public recreation areas along the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

Conviction

Following his retirement from Congress, Wyatt was found guilty and fined $750 on one count of failing to report outlays from a secret cash fund he controlled while heading the

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 ...

campaign in Oregon.

Afterwards

He became a partner at the law firm of

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt ("Schwabe") is an American law firm with over 176 attorneys in eight cities on the West Coast. The firm is led by Graciela Gomez Cowger, CEO. History The firm was founded in 1892 by Ralph Wilber and Schuyler C. Spence ...

. The

Edith Green - Wendell Wyatt Federal Building Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and vari ...

in downtown Portland is named in honor of Wyatt and Congresswoman

Edith Green Edith Louise Starrett Green (January 17, 1910 – April 21, 1987) was an American politician and educator from Oregon. She was the second Oregonian woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served a total of ten terms, fro ...

, alongside whom he served during all but three days of his tenure in Congress. Wyatt died in Portland in 2009 at the age of 91.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyatt, Wendell 1917 births 2009 deaths University of Oregon School of Law alumni Politicians from Eugene, Oregon Politicians from Astoria, Oregon Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon 20th-century American politicians Lawyers from Eugene, Oregon