American politician, the Governor of Oregon from 1966-1974. A liberal Republican, he was known as a trailblazing environmentalist who was a pace setter for conservation in the ’70s and ’80s by instituting many novel ideas such as the bottle bill, odd-even gas rationing and the banning of electrical outdoor signs during the energy crisis. He is the author of the autobiography “Maverick,” 1977.
McCall’s administration began at the time when the pristine Pacific Northwest discovered pollution in its rivers and was forced to face the consequences of runaway development. Determined to stem the flow of “progress” so Oregon could retain its natural beauty, McCall left no stone unturned in preserving its natural resources. After conservative legislators tied up his beach protection bill, McCall himself landed in a helicopter next to a hotel that had fenced off what it referred to as its “private beach.” The governor then proceeded to drive in high stakes on the beach, literally drawing a line of public ownership of the land. The lawmakers surrendered days later. As a creative troubleshooter, he once set up a state sanctioned rock festival to prevent rioting during an American Legion convention.
Formerly a TV commentator, McCall displayed a fitting ability of rising to the occasion on camera; his finely tuned communication skills were coupled with an instinct for confrontation. He is most famous for his 1971 TV interview when he invited people to visit his beloved state of Oregon “but for heaven’s sake, please don’t come here to live.” With the help of the governors of Pacific Northwest states Idaho and Washington, McCall spearheaded action into saving Hell’s Canyon and the Snake River.
Struggling with cancer in 1982, McCall played a crucial role in confronting a timber-industry financed initiative to roll back Oregon’s land planning laws. Set up to demonstrate in a media event at the Oregon-California border, he spoke for those who saw the pacific Northwest as more than a place to get rich off the land, saying that “Oregon is demure and lovely, and it ought to play a little hard to get. And I think you’ll all be just as sick as I am if you find out it is nothing but a hungry hussy, throwing herself at every stinking smokestack that’s offered.”
McCall died of cancer on January 8, 1983.
Link to Wikipedia biography