I decided to research Walter Pierce, Cornelia Pierce, and the decisions to name the library after Walter Pierce, then rename it for both Pierces.

In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan was active across Oregon, with chapters in Portland, Eugene, Medford, La Grande and other communities. Its members intimidated Catholics and other minorities. In 1921, Klan members in Medford nearly lynched two African Americans.

Walter Pierce ran for governor in 1922. He accepted support from the Klan during his campaign, and in return, he supported an anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, Klan-backed bill to eliminate parochial schools and require Oregon children to attend public schools. In 1923, Pierce supported Klan-endorsed legislation prohibiting Japanese immigrants from owning or leasing land in Oregon. Pierce’s tenure as governor was characterized by discriminatory policies against multiple minority groups.

In the early 20th century, the eugenics movement promoted child-bearing by whites of northern-European descent while discouraging propagation by people considered to be “inferior.” In Oregon, the movement led to the longterm violation of the rights of thousands of disabled and incarcerated Oregonians. Pierce was an advocate of eugenics. As governor, he signed laws allowing the forced sterilization of “all feeble-minded, insane, epileptics, habitual criminals, moral degenerates and sexual perverts who are a menace to society.”

A like-minded prominent Oregonian, Cornelia Marvin, lobbied for sterilization bills in the Legislature. Marvin and Pierce married in 1928.

Pierce became a congressman in 1932, but remained an outspoken proponent of eugenics. At the same time that eugenics theories were gaining traction in Nazi Germany, the Pierces advocated similar ideologies in Oregon. Eugenics lost credibility in Europe at the end of World War II as the world learned of the horrific consequences of Hitler’s policies.

In Oregon, the legacy of policies endorsed by the Pierces lasted longer. For nearly 60 years, Oregon law authorized the involuntary sterilization of thousands of prisoners and the mentally ill, based on legislation Cornelia Pierce advocated for and that Walter Pierce signed into law. Oregon’s last involuntarily sterilization occurred in 1981. The law was not repealed until 1983. As a senator, Pierce opposed immigration quotas that would have allowed Jewish children fleeing Nazi Germany to enter the country.

Pierce retired from politics in 1942, but continued to advocate for racist polices, particularly against Oregonians of Japanese descent. The Pierces were actively involved in the anti-Japanese movement during World War II. They supported the incarceration of Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor, then campaigned in 1944 and 1945 to deport individuals of Japanese heritage — resident aliens and American citizens alike.

In 1999, Eastern Oregon University created a committee to review the name of the Walter Pierce Library, and ultimately renamed the library as the “Pierce Library” to honor Walter and Cornelia Pierce — utterly ignoring that Cornelia Pierce advocated the same xenophobic, racist and eugenic theories as Walter Pierce.

We struggle with the issue of how to portray and interpret our nation’s history as we grapple with changes in societal values. But institutions of education should be places where people from all backgrounds feel welcome and safe. That doesn’t happen when institutions openly honor those who have advocated discrimination against people of different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds, or supported the most brutal civil rights violations against people who are homosexual, developmentally delayed or mentally ill.

Walter and Cornelia Pierce advocated for political policies intended to create a majority white, majority Protestant Oregon population. Their policies caused real harm to real people. They helped to create the highly homogeneous state we live in, even now, depriving Oregonians of the richness of a culturally diverse population.

The Pierces were important players in Oregon history and their actions should be remembered — but not celebrated. EOU should refuse to honor people who have advocated for discriminatory policies and for the cruelest, most intrusive violations of human rights. Renaming the library would acknowledge it matters whom we choose to recognize, and would demonstrate the university aspires to welcome students, staff and faculty of diverse backgrounds.

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Anne Morrison is a La Grande resident and retired attorney who has lived in Union County since 2000.