Oren E. Long Papers
Collection
Identifier: MANUSCRIPT-HCPC00008
Oren E. Long was a longtime Hawaii official and politician who served as Deputy Superintendent and Superintendent of Public Instruction (1934-1946); Secretary of Hawaii (1946-1951); Governor (1951-1953); State Senator (1956-1959); and U.S. Senator (1959-1963). Long was heavily involved in the campaign for statehood; he and Hiram L. Fong were the first two U.S. Senators from the new state of Hawaii in 1959.
The collection consists of material donated by Robert M. Kamins and Linnea Okazaki Foss, both former aides to Long. They worked for Long at the same time for several years and recently inspired each other to make the donations. The material was in good to excellent condition and needed only to be placed into archival folders and boxes.
On July 13, 2007, Kamins donated two photographs and six documents. On August 15, 2007, Foss donated three albums of original newspaper clippings, a CD with PDF files of these scanned clippings, and a 3-ring binder of documents photocopied from the Long collection at the Hawaii State Archives. The albums and binder include detailed tables of contents. The albums and their protective sleeves are of archival quality.
Mrs. Foss’ narrative about how she came to compile the material she donated is included in each of the three albums and the binder; it is as follows:
Before listing the items in the Oren E. Long collection, it seems appropriate to give a brief explanation of how they came into my possession and why it took so long to get the material organized into presentable form. Mr. Long, who died in 1965, was one of Hawaii’s first two United States Senators (the other being Senator Hiram L. Fong, who died in 2004 after many years in Congress).
Oren E. Long had served Hawaii for many years before his death in several important positions before being elected to the United States Senate. (I had the privilege of working as his secretary during the time he was Secretary of Hawaii, Governor of Hawaii, and during his time as Oahu Senator in the Legislature of the State of Hawaii.)
Not long after his death in 1965, his widow, Mrs. Geneva R. Long, gave me some newspaper clippings, photographs and other items, all in loose form. My recollection is that these were extra or duplicate materials of what she had kept for herself. The bulk of her husband’s papers had been sent to the Hawaii State Archives. For many years the materials from Mrs. Long were kept in storage while I was busy raising my children, working in busy jobs, changing residence and vocations, then taking care of grandchildren. Despite good intentions, it was not until 2004 that I finally got my old files and family memorabilia out of storage.
I was relieved to find my old memorabilia and files, including those from Mrs. Long still intact for the most part. Over a period of more than two years, I made it my job to put the materials about Oren E. Long in as good order as I could. Some of the news clippings had no notation as to date or source; I labeled and placed them as best I could.
On December 5, 2007 the collection received a scrapbook of newspaper clippings (Jan. 1962-Jan. 1963) from the UHM Library’s Hawaiian Collection who had received it from the Library Gifts & Exchange section. Principals in both those sections believe, but cannot verify, that it came from the Hawaii State Data Center that sends Hawaii related material to the Library from time to time.
The collection consists of material donated by Robert M. Kamins and Linnea Okazaki Foss, both former aides to Long. They worked for Long at the same time for several years and recently inspired each other to make the donations. The material was in good to excellent condition and needed only to be placed into archival folders and boxes.
On July 13, 2007, Kamins donated two photographs and six documents. On August 15, 2007, Foss donated three albums of original newspaper clippings, a CD with PDF files of these scanned clippings, and a 3-ring binder of documents photocopied from the Long collection at the Hawaii State Archives. The albums and binder include detailed tables of contents. The albums and their protective sleeves are of archival quality.
Mrs. Foss’ narrative about how she came to compile the material she donated is included in each of the three albums and the binder; it is as follows:
Before listing the items in the Oren E. Long collection, it seems appropriate to give a brief explanation of how they came into my possession and why it took so long to get the material organized into presentable form. Mr. Long, who died in 1965, was one of Hawaii’s first two United States Senators (the other being Senator Hiram L. Fong, who died in 2004 after many years in Congress).
Oren E. Long had served Hawaii for many years before his death in several important positions before being elected to the United States Senate. (I had the privilege of working as his secretary during the time he was Secretary of Hawaii, Governor of Hawaii, and during his time as Oahu Senator in the Legislature of the State of Hawaii.)
Not long after his death in 1965, his widow, Mrs. Geneva R. Long, gave me some newspaper clippings, photographs and other items, all in loose form. My recollection is that these were extra or duplicate materials of what she had kept for herself. The bulk of her husband’s papers had been sent to the Hawaii State Archives. For many years the materials from Mrs. Long were kept in storage while I was busy raising my children, working in busy jobs, changing residence and vocations, then taking care of grandchildren. Despite good intentions, it was not until 2004 that I finally got my old files and family memorabilia out of storage.
I was relieved to find my old memorabilia and files, including those from Mrs. Long still intact for the most part. Over a period of more than two years, I made it my job to put the materials about Oren E. Long in as good order as I could. Some of the news clippings had no notation as to date or source; I labeled and placed them as best I could.
On December 5, 2007 the collection received a scrapbook of newspaper clippings (Jan. 1962-Jan. 1963) from the UHM Library’s Hawaiian Collection who had received it from the Library Gifts & Exchange section. Principals in both those sections believe, but cannot verify, that it came from the Hawaii State Data Center that sends Hawaii related material to the Library from time to time.
Dates
- 1929-1965
- Majority of material found within 1950 - 1959
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in this collection, their descendants, or the repository if copyright has been signed over, as stipulated by United States copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user to determine any copyright restrictions, obtain written permission, and pay any fees necessary for the reproduction or proposed use of the materials.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Hawaii Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must be obtained by the researcher.
The Hawaiʻi Congressional Papers Collection is accessible in the University Archives and Manuscripts Department's John Troup Moir, Jr., and Gertrude M.F. Moir Archives Reading Room. For more information, please contact the Congressional Papers Archivist by email: archives@hawaii.edu, or phone: 808-956-6047.
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in this collection, their descendants, or the repository if copyright has been signed over, as stipulated by United States copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user to determine any copyright restrictions, obtain written permission, and pay any fees necessary for the reproduction or proposed use of the materials.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Hawaii Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must be obtained by the researcher.
The Hawaiʻi Congressional Papers Collection is accessible in the University Archives and Manuscripts Department's John Troup Moir, Jr., and Gertrude M.F. Moir Archives Reading Room. For more information, please contact the Congressional Papers Archivist by email: archives@hawaii.edu, or phone: 808-956-6047.
Conditions Governing Use
Material with personal information may be redacted by the Archives staff. some fragile items may need to be handled by the staff only. Use of audiovisual material may require the production of listening or viewing copies.
Extent
2.5 Linear Feet
Abstract
Oren E. Long was a longtime Hawaii official and politician who served as Deputy Superintendent and Superintendent of Public Instruction (1925-1946); Secretary of Hawaii (1946-1951); Governor (1951-1953); State Senator (1956-1959); and U.S. Senator (1959-1963). Long was heavily involved in the campaign for statehood; he and Hiram L. Fong were the first two U.S. Senators from the new state of Hawaii when they were sworn in on August 21, 1959.
The original donation consists of material donated by Robert M. Kamins and Linnea Okazaki Foss, both former aides to Long. Kamins donated two photographs and six documents. Foss donated three albums of newspaper clippings, a CD with PDF files of these scanned clippings, and a 3-ring binder of documents. The provenance of the second donation is less certain. Joan Hori (UHM Library Hawaiian Collection) received a scrapbook of Oren Long newspaper clippings from UHM Library Gifts & Exchange section. G&E likely received it from the Hawaii State Data Center that donates Hawaii related material to the Library from time to time.
The original donation consists of material donated by Robert M. Kamins and Linnea Okazaki Foss, both former aides to Long. Kamins donated two photographs and six documents. Foss donated three albums of newspaper clippings, a CD with PDF files of these scanned clippings, and a 3-ring binder of documents. The provenance of the second donation is less certain. Joan Hori (UHM Library Hawaiian Collection) received a scrapbook of Oren Long newspaper clippings from UHM Library Gifts & Exchange section. G&E likely received it from the Hawaii State Data Center that donates Hawaii related material to the Library from time to time.
Biographical Sketch
Oren E. Long was born in Altoona, Kansas, on March 4, 1889. He had one sister and three brothers. He attended Kansas public schools. Long graduated from Johnson Bible College in Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee with a B.A (1912), from the University of Michigan with an M.A.in English and American History (1916), and from Columbia University with an M.A. in Administration (1922). From 1912-1914 he taught history at Johnson Academy in Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee and was the principal there from 1914-1917.
Long moved to Hawaii in 1917 and held a variety of educational and social service positions through 1925. He became deputy superintendent (1925-1934) and superintendent (1934-1946) of the Department of Public Instruction. During World War II, he was also a second lieutenant on the Headquarters Staff of the Hawaii Defense Volunteers. He served in several other educational and service agencies through 1956. He served as Secretary of Hawaii (1946-1951) and was appointed the tenth Territorial Governor by President Harry Truman (1951-1953). He was a member of the Hawaii Democratic Party.
He was elected a senator to the Territorial Legislature (1956-1959) and was elected to the U.S. Senate (1959-1963) upon Hawaii achieving statehood. As with all previous new states, the two new senators had to draw straws to determine who would serve a six-year term and who a four-year term, so that the terms would be staggered from then on; Fong drew the long straw and Long drew the short one for a four-year term. He did not run for a second term and was succeeded by then-Rep. Daniel K. Inouye.
A note on Long’s middle name: Reputable sources disagree on the spelling of Oren E. Long’s middle name—it is found as both Ethelbert and as Ethelbirt. His longtime aide Linnea Okazaki Foss, in an email message dated Aug. 27, 2007, said she also found it spelled both ways in material she has, didn’t know the correct spelling, that Long used only the middle initial when she worked for him and “…never bothered to make any correction in articles that appeared…” She reports that the Johnson Bible College’s school newspaper had his middle name on the masthead as Ethelbert, but his signature appears on an autograph list for the class of 1912 as Ethelbirt.
Long moved to Hawaii in 1917 and held a variety of educational and social service positions through 1925. He became deputy superintendent (1925-1934) and superintendent (1934-1946) of the Department of Public Instruction. During World War II, he was also a second lieutenant on the Headquarters Staff of the Hawaii Defense Volunteers. He served in several other educational and service agencies through 1956. He served as Secretary of Hawaii (1946-1951) and was appointed the tenth Territorial Governor by President Harry Truman (1951-1953). He was a member of the Hawaii Democratic Party.
He was elected a senator to the Territorial Legislature (1956-1959) and was elected to the U.S. Senate (1959-1963) upon Hawaii achieving statehood. As with all previous new states, the two new senators had to draw straws to determine who would serve a six-year term and who a four-year term, so that the terms would be staggered from then on; Fong drew the long straw and Long drew the short one for a four-year term. He did not run for a second term and was succeeded by then-Rep. Daniel K. Inouye.
A note on Long’s middle name: Reputable sources disagree on the spelling of Oren E. Long’s middle name—it is found as both Ethelbert and as Ethelbirt. His longtime aide Linnea Okazaki Foss, in an email message dated Aug. 27, 2007, said she also found it spelled both ways in material she has, didn’t know the correct spelling, that Long used only the middle initial when she worked for him and “…never bothered to make any correction in articles that appeared…” She reports that the Johnson Bible College’s school newspaper had his middle name on the masthead as Ethelbert, but his signature appears on an autograph list for the class of 1912 as Ethelbirt.
Biographical Chronology
1889 Mar 4: Born in Altoona, Kansas
1912: B.A., Johnson Bible College, Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee
1912-1914: Taught history at Johnson Academy, Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee
1914-1917: Principal, Johnson Academy, Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee
1916: M.A., English and American History, University of Michigan
1917 Jun 26: Married Geneva Rule; no children
1917-1918: Social settlement worker, Hilo, Hawaii
1918-1919: Educational director, Army Y.M.C.A., Fort Shafter, Hawaii
1919-1920: Vice-Principal, McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
1920-1921: Personnel officer, Kohala Sugar Company, Island of Hawaii
1922: M.A., Administration, Columbia University
1922-1924: Principal, Church Farm School, Glen Loch, Pennsylvania
1924-1925: Principal, Kauai High School, Lihue, Hawaii
1925-1934: Deputy Superintendent, Territory of Hawaii Department of Public Instruction
1929: Delegate, World Federation of Education Associations meeting
1931: Delegate, World Federation of Education Associations meeting
1931-1932: Vice-President, National Education Association; Vice-President, Hawaii Educational Association; Vice-President, Oahu Educational Association
1934-1946: Superintendent, Territory of Hawaii Department of Public Instruction
1935-1942: On board of directors, U.S. National Youth Administration
1935-1946: Regent, University of Hawaii
1936-1940: President, Pan-Pacific Union
1937: Delegate, World Federation of Education Associations meeting
1940-1941: Chairman, YMCA Territorial Committee; Member, Executive Committee of the Community Survey of Education
1941: Chair, Board of Trustees, Hawaii School of Religion; World War II Lieutenant, Headquarters Staff, Hawaii Defense Volunteers
1945-1946: Member, Honolulu Parks and Recreation Commission
1946: Director, Hawaii Department of Public Welfare; Member, Guam Survey of Education
1946-1951: Secretary, Territory of Hawaii
1948-1952: Chairman, Advisory Committee on Education for Guam 1951-1953: Governor, Territory of Hawaii, May 8, 1951 – February 28, 1953
1952: Delegate, Democratic National Convention
1954-1956: Member and Vice Chairman, Hawaii Statehood Commission
1956-1959: Senator, Territorial Legislature
1959 July 28: Elected one of two U.S. senators, awaiting Hawaii statehood
1959 Aug 21: Began serving as U.S. Senator upon start of statehood on same date
1960: Delegate, Democratic National Convention
1963 Jan 3: U.S. Senate term ended
1964: Member, South Pacific Commission (now Pacific Community)
1965 May 6: Died of asthmatic bronchitis, Honolulu, Hawaii
1965 May 7-10: State mourning period, flags at half staff
1965 May 9: Ashes lying in state at State Capitol (then Iolani Palace)
1965 May 9: Public memorial service, First Christian Church, Honolulu
1965 May 10: Private interment of ashes, Oahu Cemetery
2007: State Legislature establishes the Senator Hiram L. Fong and v+Senator Oren E. Long Scholarship Programs
1912: B.A., Johnson Bible College, Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee
1912-1914: Taught history at Johnson Academy, Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee
1914-1917: Principal, Johnson Academy, Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee
1916: M.A., English and American History, University of Michigan
1917 Jun 26: Married Geneva Rule; no children
1917-1918: Social settlement worker, Hilo, Hawaii
1918-1919: Educational director, Army Y.M.C.A., Fort Shafter, Hawaii
1919-1920: Vice-Principal, McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
1920-1921: Personnel officer, Kohala Sugar Company, Island of Hawaii
1922: M.A., Administration, Columbia University
1922-1924: Principal, Church Farm School, Glen Loch, Pennsylvania
1924-1925: Principal, Kauai High School, Lihue, Hawaii
1925-1934: Deputy Superintendent, Territory of Hawaii Department of Public Instruction
1929: Delegate, World Federation of Education Associations meeting
1931: Delegate, World Federation of Education Associations meeting
1931-1932: Vice-President, National Education Association; Vice-President, Hawaii Educational Association; Vice-President, Oahu Educational Association
1934-1946: Superintendent, Territory of Hawaii Department of Public Instruction
1935-1942: On board of directors, U.S. National Youth Administration
1935-1946: Regent, University of Hawaii
1936-1940: President, Pan-Pacific Union
1937: Delegate, World Federation of Education Associations meeting
1940-1941: Chairman, YMCA Territorial Committee; Member, Executive Committee of the Community Survey of Education
1941: Chair, Board of Trustees, Hawaii School of Religion; World War II Lieutenant, Headquarters Staff, Hawaii Defense Volunteers
1945-1946: Member, Honolulu Parks and Recreation Commission
1946: Director, Hawaii Department of Public Welfare; Member, Guam Survey of Education
1946-1951: Secretary, Territory of Hawaii
1948-1952: Chairman, Advisory Committee on Education for Guam 1951-1953: Governor, Territory of Hawaii, May 8, 1951 – February 28, 1953
1952: Delegate, Democratic National Convention
1954-1956: Member and Vice Chairman, Hawaii Statehood Commission
1956-1959: Senator, Territorial Legislature
1959 July 28: Elected one of two U.S. senators, awaiting Hawaii statehood
1959 Aug 21: Began serving as U.S. Senator upon start of statehood on same date
1960: Delegate, Democratic National Convention
1963 Jan 3: U.S. Senate term ended
1964: Member, South Pacific Commission (now Pacific Community)
1965 May 6: Died of asthmatic bronchitis, Honolulu, Hawaii
1965 May 7-10: State mourning period, flags at half staff
1965 May 9: Ashes lying in state at State Capitol (then Iolani Palace)
1965 May 9: Public memorial service, First Christian Church, Honolulu
1965 May 10: Private interment of ashes, Oahu Cemetery
2007: State Legislature establishes the Senator Hiram L. Fong and v+Senator Oren E. Long Scholarship Programs
Other Research and Biographical Material
• Hawaii State Archives has the main collection of Long’s papers, including his congressional and gubernatorial papers – http://statearchives.lib.hawaii.edu/ (Manuscript Collection M-173)
• University of Hawaii’s online catalog – http://uhmanoa.lib.hawaii.edu/ (see also below)
• Papers of other members of Congress in the Hawaii Congressional Papers Collection – http://libweb.hawaii.edu/libdept/congressional/
• “Artificial Files” of information about Long collected by the Archives staff, largely from 1997 onward – Hawaii Congressional Papers Collection
• Index to the Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin (printed volumes), 1929-1988 – in many libraries in Hawaii, including Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Hawaii Newspaper Index (online; compiled by the Hawaii State Library), 1988 onward – http://www.librarieshawaii.org/catalog/index.html
• Congressional Record, Government Documents Collection, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa Library
• University of Hawaii’s online catalog – http://uhmanoa.lib.hawaii.edu/ (see also below)
• Papers of other members of Congress in the Hawaii Congressional Papers Collection – http://libweb.hawaii.edu/libdept/congressional/
• “Artificial Files” of information about Long collected by the Archives staff, largely from 1997 onward – Hawaii Congressional Papers Collection
• Index to the Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin (printed volumes), 1929-1988 – in many libraries in Hawaii, including Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Hawaii Newspaper Index (online; compiled by the Hawaii State Library), 1988 onward – http://www.librarieshawaii.org/catalog/index.html
• Congressional Record, Government Documents Collection, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa Library
Accessions
2007 Jul 13: From Robert Kamins: One original photograph; one photocopy of a photograph; one enlarged newspaper article on paper; one photocopied periodical article; three paper documents
2007 Aug 15: From Linnea Okazaki Foss and her son Colby Foss: 3 screw-post albums of mostly newspaper clippings and a few documents; one CD with scanned images of all the material in the the 3 albums above; one album of documents photocopied from the Hawaii State Archives
2007 Dec 5: From the Hawaiian Collection, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library; likely from the Hawaii State Data Center as part of its regular shipment of materials to the Hawaiian Collection
2007 Aug 15: From Linnea Okazaki Foss and her son Colby Foss: 3 screw-post albums of mostly newspaper clippings and a few documents; one CD with scanned images of all the material in the the 3 albums above; one album of documents photocopied from the Hawaii State Archives
2007 Dec 5: From the Hawaiian Collection, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library; likely from the Hawaii State Data Center as part of its regular shipment of materials to the Hawaiian Collection
Repository Details
Part of the University of Hawaii at Manoa Libraries Repository
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