(1936-2017)
- Oregon State Representative, 1965-1990.
About Rep. Hanneman
Paul Hanneman moved to Pacific City at the age of 9 years old. After graduating from Nestucca Valley High School, he attended Portland State University. He returned to Tillamook County and worked as a dory fisherman, boat builder and businessman. Hanneman served in the Oregon House of Representatives for 25 years, from 1965 to 1990, and represented Tillamook, Yamhill, Washington, Polk and Lincoln counties in the legislature.
In the legislature, Hanneman quickly established a reputation for environmental advocacy. He chaired both the House Interim Subcommittee on Highways and the House Natural Resources Committee, leading them with environmental responsibility in mind.
The recording captures Hanneman’s recollections about important environmental legislation in which he played a major role. These pieces of legislation include the Beach Bill (1967), the Bottle Bill (1971) and the Salmon-Trout Enhancement Act (1981). The Bottle Bill, which Hanneman wrote, created the first legislated beverage-container deposit system. The system was enacted as a way to encourage people not to litter, and it became tremendously successful. Before the bill passed, “junk all over everywhere,” Paul explains in the recording. “Constituents and other people were pleading for a beverage container law and deposit.”
Toward the end of his oral history video, Paul encourages viewers to get involved. “There’s any number of things you can do to help in the community—and you don’t have to give money. There’s just so much room to work through your school or your church or your civic organization….There’s a place you can go to make a change.”
– Interview recorded October 16, 2015