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Thomas Mason Landye ’60

May 8, 2019, in Portland.

Tom was the son of James Thomas Landye, a prominent labor and personal injury lawyer, who had immigrated to Portland from Wales. James died at the age of 44, and his wife, Ethel Mason Landye ’30, raised her three children. Active in the Oregon Democratic Party, Ethel cochaired the successful U.S. Senate campaign for Wayne Morse. After Tom graduated from Lincoln High School, he followed Morse’s advice and chose his mother’s alma mater for his college.

Majoring in political science, he wrote his thesis, “The Background of Urban Renewal in Portland, Oregon: Slum Clearance without Public Housing,” with Prof. Charles McKinley [political science 1918–60] advising. He went on to receive a master’s degree in economics at the University of Chicago and pursued a PhD in political science, but ultimately graduated with a JD.

 Tom returned to Portland after law school and joined the law firm of Keane, Haessler, Bauman and Harper, now known as Landye Bennet Blumstein. Focusing on corporate law, he became renowned for his keen intellect, strong business negotiation skills, and integrity. He represented a diverse array of public and private entities, and was particularly proud of his work for Alaska Native corporations. He was a member of the Oregon State Bar for 50 years.

Tom and his wife, Patricia, endowed the Ethel M. Landye Scholarship at Reed. Patricia, his wife of 24 years, survives Tom, as do his sister, Donna Tewksbury; his brother, Jerry Landye; his stepdaughter, Kathleen Flynn; and Pat’s daughters, Victoria Barbur, Leslie Owens, and Emily Yensen.

Appeared in Reed magazine: September 2019

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