Oral Histories

Interview of Diane E. Watson

California senator from 1978 to 1990. United States ambassador to Micronesia from 1999 to 2000. Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2011.
Subtitle:
California State Archives State Government Oral History Program: Interview with Diane E. Watson
Series:
California State Archives State Government Oral History Program
Topic:
Politics and Government
Biographical Note:
California senator from 1978 to 1990. United States ambassador to Micronesia from 1999 to 2000. Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2011.
Interviewer:
Yates, Peter
Interviewee:
Watson, Diane E.
Persons Present:
Watson and Yates.
Place Conducted:
Watson's office in Los Angeles, California.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by Susan Douglass Yates, Senior Writer, UCLA Oral History Program; B.A., History, University of California, Santa Cruz; M.A., History, California State University, Sacramento.In preparing for the interview, Yates conducted research in the California Journal, Los Angeles Times, Statement of Vote, Senate Final History, and several State Government Oral History Program interviews. Yates also consulted news clipping and general files located at Watson's Los Angeles district office and reviewed Senator Diane E. Watson, Ph.D., 1978-1998, Legislative History compiled by Amofia Moe Katsimbras and Watson's dissertation (The Effects of the Desegregation Controversy on Trustee Governance in the Los Angeles Unified School District (1975-1980)).
Processing of Interview:
Daniel Lee, editorial assistant, UCLA Oral History Program, checked the verbatim manuscript of the interview against the original tape recordings, edited for punctuation, paragraphing, and spellings, and verified proper names. Insertions by the editor are bracketed.Susan Douglass Yates prepared the table of contents and the interviewer prepared the table of contents, biographical summary, and interview history.Watson reviewed the edited transcript and returned it with extensive corrections.
Length:
10 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
CSA
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series were undertaken by the UCLA Oral History Program under the auspices of the California State Archives and in conjunction with the California State University, Fullerton, Oral History Program; California State University, Sacramento, Center for California Studies Oral History Program; Claremont Graduate School Oral History Program; and the University of California, Berkeley, Regional Oral History Office. Funds were allocated to the state archives after Governor George Deukmejian signed into law Assembly Bill 2104 (Chapter 965 of the Statutes of 1985), establishing a state government oral history program "to provide through the use of oral history a continuing documentation of state policy development as reflected in California's legislative and executive history." All interviews in the series are available at the California State Archives in Sacramento.