Alfred J. Schweppe (1895-1988) came to Seattle from Minnesota as a young lawyer. At age 31, he became dean of the University of Washington School of Law, and three years later, opened a private practice. In 1933 Schweppe, who was instrumental in drafting the State Bar Act, served as the first executive secretary of the newly formed Washington State Bar Association, and was later the association’s president. Often called “The Great Dissenter,” Schweppe is credited with crafting some of the most important legislation in the state's history, but was better known for his strict constitutionalist stands in opposition to a wide range of public projects. At 90 years of age, Schweppe still went each day to his downtown law office, Schweppe, Doolittle, Krug, Tausend and Beezer.

Among his civic activities, Schweppe served as president of Ryther Child Center and the Northwest Opera Association, chairman of the Seattle Crime Prevention Advisory Committee, and was an organizer of the Seattle Opera Guild. He served on the board of Whitman College and the University of Puget Sound law school, and was a member of the Rainier Club, Seattle Golf Club, Seattle Tennis Club, Broadmoor Golf Club, Overlake Golf & Country Club, the Tacoma Club and the Lawyers Club of New York City.

Interview conducted by John Rupp, Marian Galllagher, and Junius Rochester on April 19, 1985 (Rupp), April 29, 1985 (Gallagher), and January 8, 1986 (Rochester). This interview is part of the Donald Schmechel Oral History Collection. Don Schmechel, who was a member of the Seattle Public Library Foundation board, began this project with Seattle Public Library in 1984, with the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) brought on board as a partner in early 1985. Schmechel himself worked to raise the funding for the project, and volunteered his time to manage the project, and to conduct interviews along with a crew of volunteers. Originally titled the Videotaping Historic Figures (VHF) Program, the project interviewed 91 people, and MOHAI holds the interviews for 32 of these individuals.