Ironically, Deady believed that state universities were of little use to anybody, and in 1857, during the Oregon Constitutional Convention, Deady moved to strike the section authorizing a university from the Oregon State Constitution.

His efforts were initially successful, although by the 1870s a state university had become inevitable, and the building that bears his name was constructed in spite of Deady's earlier objections.

[3][5][6] At the Oregon Constitutional Convention in 1857, Matthew Deady had advocated for discrimination towards African-Americans, who were not allowed to settle in the new state.

[7][8] Because of these views, Deady Hall became a target of an effort to remove his name from the building.

This article about a property in Oregon on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.