Topic: Gun rights
Interview of Ronald Wurtz, April 18, 2023
Interviewed by Nancy Parrish
As he tells it in this oral history interview, Ron Wurtz always wanted to be a lawyer. He chose Washburn University because they had a law school and a ROTC program. He interned with Shawnee County District Attorney Gene Olander as a law student, and after four years as an Air Force Judge Advocate, he returned to work as an Assistant District Attorney in Topeka before becoming a state public defender in 1979. Wurtz's interview covers -- the death penalty, to which he has always opposed, and sentencing guidelines, which he originally supported and later opposed. He discusses Show Moreseveral of the cases he worked on. More recently, he has worked on the Expungement Project and at the time of this interview, taught at the Washburn University Law Clinic. Occasionally he has also served as a judge pro tem. Show Less
Interview of Richard Carlson, February 9, 2024
Interviewed by Chris Courtwright
Richard Carlson held several important positions in Kansas government -- Secretary of Transportation, Chair of the House Taxation Committee, County Commissioner of Pottawatomie County -- in addition to being a farmer/cattleman, banker, businessman. In his interview he describes his efforts as Tax Chairman to pass and implement Governor Brownback's tax plan of 2012. He acknowledged the plan as finally passed was "unsustainable." In 2016 Governor Brownback appointed Carlson to the position of Secretary of Transportation (2016-2019). During his time as Secretary, he oversaw the implementation of various transportation projects around the state.
Interview of Kathleen Sebelius, March 8, 2004
Interviewed by Bob Beatty
This 2004 oral history interview of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius was conducted by Dr. Bob Beatty of Washburn University as part of the Kansas Governors Recorded History and Documentary Project. At the time if this interview she was halfway through her first term as governor. Sebelius described her political lineage as the daughter of an Ohio governor and her transition from a volunteer to a Democratic leader in a Republican-leaning state. Throughout the interview, she reflected on the visibility and intensity of the role of governor, emphasizing her commitment to consumer advocacy, bipartisan cooperation, and fiscal responsibility. Considered Show Moretogether, this interview, a set of interviews also conducted by Dr. Beatty in 2016, and interviews of Sebelius conducted by KOHP in 2022, 2023, and 2026 provide insights into the approach of Kansas' second woman governor and the state's political landscape in the first decade of the 21st Century.
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Interviews of former Kansas governors conducted by Dr. Bob Beatty of Washburn University during the early decades of the 21st Century provide a view of the lives, political philosophies, and priorities of governors who led Kansas from the late 20th to the early 21st Century. Beatty generously granted the Kansas Oral History Project (KOHP) permission to house the transcripts of these interviews conducted with former governors John Anderson, William Avery, John Carlin, Bill Graves, Mike Hayden, Mark Parkinson, and Kathleen Sebelius. These interviews are a significant addition to the Kansas Governors collection, and the KOHP Board is grateful to Dr. Beatty for making the transcripts available for posting here. Show Less
Interviews of Kathleen Sebelius by Bob Beatty, August 15 and September 22, 2016
Interviewed by Bob Beatty
In these 2016 interviews, former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius describes her family heritage, entry into politics, and career as a public servant in Kansas. The interviews were conducted by Dr. Bob Beatty of Washburn University. Sebelius describes the influence of her father, John Gilligan, whose commitment to moral courage and civil rights provided a model for principled leadership and retail politics. Gilligan served in Congress and as governor of Ohio. Sebelius details her own political ascent, from serving in the Kansas Legislature to her election as governor. In this interview, Sebelius describes dealing with long-time Show Morestate issues such as school finance and economic development along with newer issues such as tribal gaming compacts and the increasingly complex the healthcare environment. Excerpts of this interview and 2004 and 2008 interviews of Sebelius by Washburn University faculty were published in Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains 40 (Winter 2017-2018): 262-289. Read together, this interview, the 2004 Beatty interview, and KOHP interviews of Sebelius in 2022, 2023, and 2026 present a unique look at Kansas policymaking.
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Interviews of former Kansas governors conducted by Dr. Bob Beatty of Washburn University during the early decades of the 21st Century provide a view of the lives, political philosophies, and governing styles of governors who led Kansas from the late 20th to the early 21st Century. Beatty generously granted the Kansas Oral History Project (KOHP) permission to house the transcripts of these interviews conducted with former governors John Anderson, William Avery, John Carlin, Bill Graves, Mike Hayden, Mark Parkinson, and Kathleen Sebelius. These interviews are a significant addition to the Kansas Governors collection, and the KOHP Board is grateful to Dr. Beatty for making the transcripts available for posting here. Show Less