Corbett, Alfred H., 1915-2000

Alfred Hoyt Corbett (1915-2000) was born in Portland, Oregon. He received his B.S. from Harvard University and his LL.B. from Yale University. He was admitted to the Bar in 1940. Out of law school he worked for the firm Koemer, Young, McColloch & Dezendorf. During World War II he served for two years as a sergeant in Mountain Troops (a combat support unit). After the war, Corbett was the first Commissioner of the Portland Housing Authority, and in 1951 he became Assistant General Counsel to the Defense Electrical Power Administration in Washington DC. He received "superior job performance" ratings and "exceptional service awards" within the agency. Corbett was elected Oregon State Representative in 1956, and later State Senator, and served in that capacity until 1965. During that time he was Chairman of the oversight committee having responsibility for the entire budget for the State of Oregon. For OEO/LSP Corbett designed the basic grant procedures that were used by the agency to fund and monitor the legal services programs. In 1967 he became Director of the Operation Division of Community Action Program of the OEO, and in 1968 he became Deputy Associate Director for Program Policy of the CAP. In 1969 he was Director of the Budget & Fiscal Management Division. In his nine years with OEO he served in other pioneering capacities. He worked with Senior Staff and Policy officials in developing policy, as well as evaluating program and coordinating nation-wide programs with various regional offices. AHC played a critical role in the transition from the OEO/LSP to the LSC, and coordinated responses to information requests from transition team members. Corbett was one of the key strategists of the legal services program managed by the LSC. In 1974, Corbett became Chairman of the Project Review Board, his job to review applications for funding and refunding of all (263) LSC funded programs. In 1976, he became Director of Program Planning in the Corporation, where he was critical in developing the minimum access strategy. AHC also helped with developing the annual reports. In July 1977 he announced his retirement, effective in September of the same year.

Alf Corbett was a passionate and talented photographer, and his papers include five unique photo albums capturing legal services scenes from the late 1960s until the mid 1970s. Several of his photographs were also used in the first LSC annual reports.

In 1975, he was nominated by OEO for the National Civil Service League's Career Service Award.

Alfred Hoyt Corbett (b. July 22, 1915, Portland, OR–d. November 10, 2000, Poulsbo, WA); American attorney, businessman, and politician in the state of Oregon; born into wealthy family; father served several terms as the president of the Oregon State Senate; great-grandfather, Henry W. Corbett, a successful businessman and United States senator; great-grandfather, William S. Ladd, mayor of Portland and founder of the Ladd and Tilton Bank; BA, business, Harvard University (1937); JD, Yale University; married Nancy Jane deCanizaresin; began law practice in Oregon, 1940; served in the United States Army during World War II begining in January 1943, rose to the rank of sergeant; appointed to the Portland Housing Authority in 1949; appointed as the assistant general counsel for the Defense Electric Power Administration in Washington, District of Columbia, 1951; appointed state representative from Multnomah County, 1953; won state senate seat, 1956; Pres. LBJ appointed Corbett to a senior position in the legal office of the United States Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington, D.C, in this position, Corbett played a leading role in the Johnson administration's war on poverty, retired, 1978