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Object Description
| Rating | |
| Title | Harold F. Reisch Oral History Interview |
| Collection Title | Politics in Missouri Oral History Project, Records, 1996- |
| Collection Number | 3929 |
| Interviewee | Harold F. Reisch |
| Interviewer | N. Renae Farris |
| Date of Interview | 10/25/2004 |
| Subject--Name | Reisch, Harold F. |
| Subject |
Oral history Missouri--History, Local Missouri--Politics and government |
| Keyword |
Oral histories Missouri Politics Politics Political History Political Oral History |
| Coverage | United States; Missouri; Columbia, Missouri; |
| Transcription Format | Paper; Electronic |
| Pages | 36 |
| Type | Text; Sound |
| Audio Format | Audio cassette |
| Restrictions | Available, no restrictions. |
| Finding Aid | http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/c3929.pdf |
| Participants | 3 |
| Synopsis |
Harold F. Reisch was born in Springfield, Illinois on August 5th, 1920, the youngest son of Elmer and Belle C. Hergett Reisch. Drawn to the ministry at an early age, he attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington and the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. During World War Two Reisch served as a Chaplain for the 119th Combat Engineer Group in the European Theatre. Upon his return to the United States, he served as pastor in several churches in Illinois and Indiana. Around 1950 Reisch moved to Columbia, Missouri, where he continued to function in this role among various regional churches, including Dripping Spring Christian Church. He was also active in the Columbia business community, where he was president of Downtown Columbia. Reisch and his wife Bess also operated the Happy House Gift Shop. When first approached by a local member of the Pachyderms to run for the Missouri House of Representatives in 1968, Reisch was skeptical about his election chances. His opponent was a very prominent politician of long standing, and Boone County had voted Democratic for the previous 100 years. However, fellow Republican George Parker had broken this trend in the previous election. Running on the then unusual issue of environmental concerns, Reisch won. He went on to serve first the 119th and then the 110th districts of Boone County for a total of fourteen years. Reisch credited his success in part to the fact that he was a moderate and to his willingness to work cooperatively. One happy result of this was a warm bipartisan sendoff upon his retirement. For his most recent governmental biographic entry, please see The Official Manual of Missouri, 1981-1982, page 105. The reader may also wish to refer to Rev. Reischs memoirs in his book, A Little Better Than Nobody? (Hallsville, MO: Creative Consultants Press, 2002.) The recording session took place in Mr. Reischs residence, where the topics discussed ranged widely. Highlights included the Equal Rights Amendment, practical politics, his partnership with fellow Boone County representative Larry Mead, and other issues specific to his tenure in office. |
| Publisher | The State Historical Society of Missouri |
| Source | The State Historical Society of Missouri |
| Rights | This material is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). It may not be cited without acknowledgement to The Oral History Program of the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Western Historical Manuscript Collection, a Joint Collection of the University of Missouri and the State Historical Society of Missouri. |
Description
| Title | Transcription |
| Collection Title | Politics in Missouri Oral History Project, Records, 1996- |
| Collection Number | 3929 |
| Interviewee | Harold F. Reisch |
| Interviewer | N. Renae Farris |
| Date of Interview | 10/25/2004 |
| Subject--Name | Reisch, Harold F. |
| Subject |
Oral history Missouri--History, Local Missouri--Politics and government |
| Keyword |
Oral histories Missouri Politics Politics Political History Political Oral History |
| Coverage | United States; Missouri; Columbia, Missouri; |
| Transcription Format | Paper; Electronic |
| Pages | 36 |
| Audio Format | Audio cassette |
| Restrictions | Available, no restrictions. |
| Finding Aid | http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/c3929.pdf |
| Participants | 3 |
| Synopsis |
Harold F. Reisch was born in Springfield, Illinois on August 5th, 1920, the youngest son of Elmer and Belle C. Hergett Reisch. Drawn to the ministry at an early age, he attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington and the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. During World War Two Reisch served as a Chaplain for the 119th Combat Engineer Group in the European Theatre. Upon his return to the United States, he served as pastor in several churches in Illinois and Indiana. Around 1950 Reisch moved to Columbia, Missouri, where he continued to function in this role among various regional churches, including Dripping Spring Christian Church. He was also active in the Columbia business community, where he was president of Downtown Columbia. Reisch and his wife Bess also operated the Happy House Gift Shop. When first approached by a local member of the Pachyderms to run for the Missouri House of Representatives in 1968, Reisch was skeptical about his election chances. His opponent was a very prominent politician of long standing, and Boone County had voted Democratic for the previous 100 years. However, fellow Republican George Parker had broken this trend in the previous election. Running on the then unusual issue of environmental concerns, Reisch won. He went on to serve first the 119th and then the 110th districts of Boone County for a total of fourteen years. Reisch credited his success in part to the fact that he was a moderate and to his willingness to work cooperatively. One happy result of this was a warm bipartisan sendoff upon his retirement. For his most recent governmental biographic entry, please see The Official Manual of Missouri, 1981-1982, page 105. The reader may also wish to refer to Rev. Reischs memoirs in his book, A Little Better Than Nobody? (Hallsville, MO: Creative Consultants Press, 2002.) The recording session took place in Mr. Reischs residence, where the topics discussed ranged widely. Highlights included the Equal Rights Amendment, practical politics, his partnership with fellow Boone County representative Larry Mead, and other issues specific to his tenure in office. |
| Publisher | The State Historical Society of Missouri |
| Rights | This material is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). It may not be cited without acknowledgement to The Oral History Program of the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Western Historical Manuscript Collection, a Joint Collection of the University of Missouri and the State Historical Society of Missouri. |
