![Oral history interview with Kernan H. Bagley [Sound Recording 01]](/images/generic-icons/audio.png){kind=icon}
![Oral history interview with Kernan H. Bagley [Transcript]](/uploads/r/oregon-historical-society-library/d/3/5/d358cf6adb63d049d63e9390f3ec75ee9f63ef2e2306f36b8cddfdcb7df12c5b/c2b2e2e9-af09-478d-af1e-ac2630e8716f-SR1236_Transcript_142.jpg)
Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Series
Title
Oral history interview with Kernan H. Bagley
Date(s)
- 1993-02-09 - 1993-03-17 (Creation)
Extent
.1 cubic feet; 5 audiocassettes (3 hr., 11 min., 25 sec.) + 1 photograph (black and white ; 1 x 4.5 in.)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Kernan H. Bagley was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1936. Shortly afterward, his family moved to a farm in a rural area outside Portland, then called Peach Mountain. He met Shirlene Peacher at an NAACP meeting and they married in 1954. That same year, he began studying at Portland State University, but he dropped out in 1956 to support his young family. He later attended Multnomah School of the Bible (now Multnomah University) from 1964 to 1965. He began working in law enforcement, serving as Multnomah deputy sheriff from 1965 to 1976. He became deputy U.S. marshal for the District of Oregon in 1976, and then was appointed supervisor deputy U.S. marshal for the District of Oregon in 1981. Since 1993, he has served as U.S. marshal to the Virgin Islands.
Name of creator
Biographical history
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This oral history interview with Kernan H. Bagley was conducted by Brent E. Turvey from February 9 to March 17, 1993. In this interview, Bagley discusses his family background and early life on a farm near Portland, Oregon, particularly the experience of growing up black in a predominantly white area, as well as his early education and religious upbringing. He talks about the importance of role models for young African Americans, citing Multnomah County sheriff Don E. Clark as one of his own. He speaks at length about family and social values. He talks briefly about his college education; meeting his wife, Shirlene Peacher, and starting a family; and getting started in his law enforcement career. He discusses serving as a deputy Multnomah County sheriff and the discrimination he faced there. He then talks about serving as a U.S. marshal, the duties of the marshals, and the political process of his appointment to deputy U.S. marshal for the District of Oregon. He describes the popular perception of the U.S. marshals versus the reality; the process of prisoner transportation; and his thoughts on police brutality and the recent Rodney King video. He closes the interview by discussing the prison system, including its funding and effectiveness at rehabilitation.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the U.S. District Court Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
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Finding aids
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Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
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Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Kernan H. Bagley, by Brent E. Turvey, SR 1236, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
General note
Forms part of the United States District Court Oral History Project.
General note
Incomplete transcript (98 pages) and typescript index (8 pages) are available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition.
Sources used
Archivist's note
Sarah Stroman