Unander v. United States National Bank

355 P.2d 729, 224 Or. 144, 1960 Ore. LEXIS 605
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 5, 1960
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 355 P.2d 729 (Unander v. United States National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Unander v. United States National Bank, 355 P.2d 729, 224 Or. 144, 1960 Ore. LEXIS 605 (Or. 1960).

Opinion

WARNER, J.

The appellant, State of Oregon, acting by and through the State Treasurer, appeals from an order of the Circuit Court of Multnomah County (Department of Probate) holding that funds of the estate of Hopkin Jenkins, deceased, accruing to the testamentary trust, hereinafter more particularly described, are exempt from inheritance tax charges. His executors and the testamentary trustee, as respondents, defend the holding of the lower court.

Mr. Jenkins died July 21, 1956. His will was executed September 20, 1948. The provision (subparagraph 2 of Article IY) which inspires this appeal reads:

“TRUST NO. 2: I bequeath to THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL BANK OP PORTLAND (OREGON), IN TRUST and in perpetuity, and all accretions thereto, sums of money consisting principally of One Hundred Thousand ($100,000.00) Dollars of the appraised value of my estate either in cash or securities or both, including any shares of capital stock in the Jenkins Estate Company, an Oregon corporation, in my estate at its appraised value, together with any remainder hereinafter defined, to constitute the corpus of this trust *147 estate, to be held by said trustee for the following purpose:—
“ — for the purpose of providing a fund of money for the advanced education of qualified boys and girls, beyond that of high school requirements. (15%)
“This perpetual educational trust is established to the glory of God and the memory of my father, Thomas W. Jenkins, my mother, Mary Jenkins, and my brother, Albert E. Jenkins, and the years of service I was permitted to render the educational system in the State of Oregon mostly as Principal of Jefferson High School at Portland, Oregon.
“I desire the fund be designated as ‘Thomas W. Jenkins, Mary Jenkins, Albert E. Jenkins and Hopldn J enkins Student Loan Fund’ and for brevity referred to as the ‘Jenkins Student Loan Fund.’
“Out of my familiarity with and the performance of obligations similar to those hereof, I have compiled a Code of Procedure for the direction of the trustee or trustees in the execution of this trust. Said Code is in no way to be construed as a part of this testamentary expression, but I do ask of those who administer it that in so far as my directions therein do not, under the unforeseen circumstances of the future, interfere with the trustor’s obvious purposes, the Code provisions be followed. This Code of Procedure will be kept with my will, come into the hands of my executors and be by them delivered to and held by the bank trustee for the guidance of all.”

It will be observed that the gift in question does not expressly limit the use of the student loan fund to uses “within this state.”

The circuit court held that the foregoing bequest is one “to a person or persons or association of persons in trust for educational uses within the State of Oregon, and is exempt from taxation as provided by OES 118.020.” (Emphasis supplied.)

*148 The issue presented by the appeal is whether the educational charity as established by the testator is exempt from inheritance tax under ORS 118.020. In its narrower aspect the issue may be stated thus: Are the funds provided for the trust limited to “educational uses within the State of Oregon”?

ORS 118.020 makes provision for such exemptions from inheritance tax as may be accorded to benevolent, charitable, religious or educational institutions. The pertinent part thereof in which we have interest reads:

“(1) Devises, bequests, legacies and gifts are exempt from taxation under the provisions of ORS 118.005 to 118.840, if made:
“(a) To any benevolent, charitable, religious or educational institution, society, association or corporation organized and existing within this state and actually engaged in carrying out the objects and purposes for which so organized or existing; or
“(b) To a corporation, association or society to be organized for such purposes under the laws of this state pursuant to the terms of the instrument providing such devise, bequest, legacy or gift; or
“(c) To a person or persons or association of persons in trust for benevolent, charitable, religious or educational uses within this state.”

Indeed, our particular interest centers upon subsection (c) of the foregoing where we find the significant words of limitation: for “uses within this state.” We find no ambiguities in the statute which necessitate resorting to rules of construction.

There is no question that a student loan fund does constitute a charitable or educational use fully as much as would a scholarship fund. By making available funds at a relatively low rate of interest to quali *149 fying persons, the loan fund serves a purpose as charitable as it is meritorious. Clearly, this is an educational use within the meaning of the language of OKS 118.020(1) (c). Support for this view may be found in the following authorities and the cases which they cite. 4 Scott, Trusts (2d ed), 2648, 2726, §§ 370.5, 376; Anno 33 ALR 2d 1183 (1954).

Oregon’s limitation of the charitable exemption to domestic charity is not peculiar to this jurisdiction. Similar statutory limitations are common in other jurisdictions and have occasionally been imposed by the courts even in the absence of statutes. See 2 Bogert, Trusts and Trustees, 352, § 290(b).

In this state such restrictions have a long history. Kestrictions to Oregon corporations may be found in Oregon Laws 1903, p 49, § 1. Gifts in trust to persons were so restricted by statute in Oregon Laws 1905, ch 178, p 309, § 1; Oregon Laws 1919, ch 392, p 697, § 1. After 1925 there was a restriction upon use in the United States. Oregon Laws 1925, ch 338, p 688, §1; Oregon Laws 1931, ch 332, p 569, §1; Oregon Laws 1933, eh 26, p 44, § 1. However, in 1939 we returned to a restriction to use within this state. The language with which we are now concerned was inserted at that time. See Oregon Laws 1939, ch 148, p 300, § 1 (now OES 118.020).

We are concerned, therefore, with no mere inadvertent use of language. Such a restriction has been a part of the public policy of this state in some form for nearly half a century. The legislative history of this particular language re-emphasizes the intent of the legislature to restrict rather than to expand the scope of such gifts. When the bill of 1939 was originally passed by both houses of the legislature unanimously it did not contain the instant provision. 1939 *150 Senate and House Journals, 114, 443, 131. But before the governor could sign the bill it was recalled and the provision inserted. Ibid. 160, 521.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
355 P.2d 729, 224 Or. 144, 1960 Ore. LEXIS 605, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/unander-v-united-states-national-bank-or-1960.