Wilbur G. "Web" Hallauer

Wilbur G. Hallauer: An Oral History chronicles the life and work of Web Hallauer from his childhood in Webster, New York, to the resettlement of his family in the Yakima area, his education and more than four decades of involvement in the family businesses of fruit drying and orcharding. His growing interest in the political arena led to his election to the Oroville town council in 1943 and deepened when he ran for State Representative for the First District in 1948 as a supporter of Truman. Web Hallauer served three terms as representative before moving to the State Senate in 1957. He distinguished himself as a master of the state budget process, serving as chair on the House Revenue Committee and the Senate Appropriations and Ways and Means committees. As a Senator, he was the chairman of the Legislative Interim Committee on Water Resources -- a committee that had the distinction of recommending ten major pieces of legislation, all of which were subsequently enacted. He was also noted for his passionate defense of civil liberties, including his courageous defense of Representative John Goldmark during Washington State's "McCarthy era."

Wilbur G. "Web" Hallauer Oral History