Dr. William J. Brady was a physician and pathologist who served as the Multnomah County Coroner and as the Oregon State Medical Examiner. Born in 1932, Brady attended the University of Oregon Medical School, training in autopsies and pathology under the guidance of Dr. Warren Hunter. In 1960, he won the election to become Multnomah County’s Coroner, on the promise that he would dissolve the position of County Coroner and fold it into the State Medical Examiner’s office, which he did in 1964. He then served as the Oregon Medical Examiner from 1969 until 1985, continuing afterward with his private practice until his death in 2017.
In this interview conducted in 2007, Brady discusses his career and education, including the specifics involved with the politics and day to day routines of determining causes of death. He also discusses the history of coroners in regard to both their English roots and their status in Oregon, the doctors who shaped the profession, and his development and opinions on depictions of forensic pathology in television and media.