Oral History Project

Purpose and Project Description

In 2002 the Board of Directors of Cleaves Law Library formally organized and adopted guidelines for the Cleaves Law Library Oral History Project for the purpose of assembling a historical record about the Maine judiciary and the legal profession of the State of Maine. This project has been instituted as an integral function of the Library’s historical mission and archival objectives.

Initial funding for the project was provided by the Levine Family Foundation and the Maine State Bar Association. The project originated from the efforts of the Hon. D. Brock Hornby, the Hon. William Brownell, the staff of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine and numerous volunteers, in particular Roger Putnam, Esq.

The Oral History Project is a public service endeavor intended to capture, for the permanent historical record, a picture of the practice of law in Maine at various periods of time. Our intention is to conduct interviews of diverse occupations within the legal profession to uncover the personal insights often lacking in written documentary sources, and to record each narrator’s unique relationship and contribution to the subject. Firsthand accounts of important events and experiences, supplemented with personal and anecdotal material to illustrate are a focus of the project.

We also accept donated collections or items when they fit into our selection guidelines, such as audio taped interviews, taped events, transcribed speeches, diaries or other personal papers that enhance or further explain the historical collection as a whole.

The Oral History Project is directed by an Advisory Committee with oversight by the Board of Directors of the Library. The Project is staffed primarily by volunteers.

The collection is for educational, not-for-profit use related to the advancement of civic education or access to justice.



For More Information:
Project Guidelines
Use Agreement and Form
Sample Release Agreement Form




NarratorPositionInterviewer/PresentersDateLengthNumber
James P. ArchibaldActive Retired Associate Justice Maine SJCRoger A. Putnam May 17, 20012 hours14
Eugene BeaulieuUS Magistrate JudgeGeorge Z. Singal July 25, 20001.5 hours11
Sumner T. Bernstein, Roger A. Putnam, Ralph I. LancasterMembers of the Maine Bar Peter CulleyDecember 27, 19991.5 hours8
Morton A. BrodyUS District Court Judge; Portrait CeremonyVarious speakersOctober 6, 20001 hour37
Morton A. BrodyUS District Court Judge; former Associate Justice Maine SJCDaniel E. WathenOctober 1, 19992 hours6
Morton A. BrodyFederal Court InductionVarious speakers October 7, 19911 hour20
William S. BrownellMaine Federal District Court ClerkHon. Davis S. Cohen January 23, 20081 hour35
Susan CalkinsFormer Associate Justice, Maine SJCMargaret Kravchuk September 10, 20071.5 hours34
Gene CarterUS District Court JudgeRalph LancasterJanuary 24, 20022 hours22
Gene Carter Bust PresentationUS District Court JudgeG. Singal, S. Kertzer, G. Dillworth, G. Petruccelli, M. Carter, J. Carter, M. Bigley, G. CarterJuly 16, 20041 hour29
Bruce ChandlerJustice--Maine Superior CourtNancy ZeiglerDecember 18, 20091 hour38
Robert W. CliffordAssociate Justice, Maine SJCDaniel WathenDecember 14, 20061.5 hours32
Frank M. Coffin TributeUS First Circuit JudgeHeld at the Samoset Resort; various speakersMarch 20, 2000? hours24
Hon. David M. CohenUS Magistrate JudgeWilliam S. BrownellJanuary 23, 20081 hour36
Hon. Conrad Cyr Former Justice of the First Circuit Court of Appeals-- Portrait Hanging Various speakers August 10, 200950 minutes40
Howard H. Dana Former Associate Justice, Maine SJCRoger PutnamMay 25, 20071 hour33
Harry DerryFormer Federal Court ReporterWilliam S. BrownellJuly 29, 19992 hours4
Duane D. (Buzz) FitzgeraldTrial Attorney/Former CEO of BIWDaniel E. Wathen June 29, 20012 hours15
Gignoux Federal Courthouse Dedication
various speakers September 1988? hours25
Caroline D. GlassmanAssociate Justice Maine SJCNancy ZeiglerDecember 18, 20091 hour39
Edward S. GodfreyFormer Dean/UMaine Law School; Retired Associate Justice Maine SJCDonald M. KreisMay 27, 19992 hours1
Harriet P. HenryMaine District Court Judge; Maine's First Woman JudgeKathryn Monaghan AinsworthNovember 1, 20011 hour19
Irving IsaacsonMember of the Maine BarCharles AbbottOctober 10, 20011 hour18
Hugh G.E. MacMahonMember of the Maine BarBook launching of Progress, Stability and the Struggle for Equality: A Ramble through the Early Years of Maine Law, 1820 -1920 September 16, 2009 30 minutes39
Myer M. MarcusMember of the Maine BarPeter MurrayFebruary 1, 19994 hours13
Emily Robinson McConnellDaughter of Clement RobinsonNicholas McConnellSeptember 7, 20011 hour17
Vincent L. McKusickFormer Chief Justice, Maine SJCRalph I. LancasterJanuary 29, 20012 hours12
S. Peter MillsFormer US AttorneyRoger A. Putnam June 17, 19991 hour3
Robert E. MittelMember of the Maine BarMichael Asen August 19 20101 hour41
Mrs. Hildegard Gignoux NissWidow of Edward GignouxHoward Dana November 23, 19991 hour7
Richard E. PoulosFormer US Bankruptcy JudgeRoger A. Putnam July 3, 19992 hours5
Roger A. PutnamMember of the Maine BarHon. Howard DanaFebruary 24, 20052 hours30
Harrison L. RichardsonAttorney & State LegislatorRoger A. PutnamApril 25, 20052 hours31
Harrison Richardson, Roger Putnam, Ralph LancasterThe Law on the LineEllsworth RundlettJune 20071/2 hour37
Gerald RudmanTrial AttorneyRoger A. Putnam March 12, 20021 hour23
Herbert T. SilsbyRetired, Superior Court Justice; Legal HistorianRoger A. PutnamJanuary 24, 20022 hours24
Stanley R. TupperMember of the US CongressCharles Abbott July 1, 20011 hour16
Lewis VafiadesTrial AttorneyJohn WoodcockJanuary 24, 20001.5 hours10
Daniel E. WathenFormer Chief Justice, Maine SJCMalcolm LyonsJune 29, 20042 hours27
Daniel E. Wathen Portrait HangingFormer Chief Justice, Maine SJCVarious speakersApril 11, 2003? hours26
Owen W. WellsAttorney and PhilanthropistDaniel WathenJune 30, 20041.5 hours28
Carl R. WrightMember of the Maine BarRoger PutnamJanuary 22, 20021 hour21
Conversations with Maine JudgesAn educational collaboration of the Maine State-Federal Judicial Council and the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at Colby CollegeVarious Interviewees Fall 2010 45 minutes
Inherited WisdomMontage #1 of the Oral History CollectionVarious Interviewees Fall 200840 minutes
Penobscot Judicial Center Opening
Various Interviewees May 18, 201030 minutes