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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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91 results for: Politics and Politicians

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Image of Oil portrait of Henry G. Struve by Albert Jenks, 1883

Oil portrait of Henry G. Struve by Albert Jenks, 1883

On July 10, 1882, voters elected Judge Henry G. Struve (1836-1905) as mayor of the City of Seattle. Struve, a German immigrant, was a lawyer, journalist, and businessman who played a key role in Seattle’s political, social, and economic life in the 1880s and 1890s. He served two terms as mayor, overseeing more than $500,000 in public improvements, including the…
ID Number:1956.1061.g
Date:1883
Image of Oil portrait of John Leary, ca. 1900

Oil portrait of John Leary, ca. 1900

John Leary (1837-1905) was involved with virtually every major civic and commercial undertaking in Seattle in the 1870s and 1880s, including a law practice, real estate, railroads, banking, and publishing. In 1884, he was elected Mayor of the City of Seattle. Herbert Gobble "Harry" Shriner (1871-1941) studied art in Paris in 1891 and later worked in California. He was known…
ID Number:1957.1284.3
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Framed photograph of Elisha P. Ferry, ca.1875

Framed photograph of Elisha P. Ferry, ca.1875

Elisha P. Ferry was the territorial governor of Washington from 1872-1880.
ID Number:1957.1284.4
Date:Circa 1875
Image of Portrait of William H. Shoudy by unknown artist, ca. 1850-1900

Portrait of William H. Shoudy by unknown artist, ca. 1850-1900

William H. Shoudy was an early settler in Seattle, emigrating by covered wagon from Illinois in a party led by Thomas Mercer. Riding a wave of anti-Chinese sentiments that culminated in race riots, Shoudy was elected Mayor as representative of the People's Party in 1886. The People's Party supported the expulsion of all people of Chinese ancestry from Seattle, narrowly…
ID Number:1960.1854.1
Date:Circa 1850-1900
Image of Oil portrait of Henry Yesler by unknown artist, ca. 1850-1890

Oil portrait of Henry Yesler by unknown artist, ca. 1850-1890

On July 8, 1885, voters elected Henry Yesler (1810-1892) as mayor of the City of Seattle. Yesler had served a previous one-year term beginning in 1874. His total education consisted of a few years in a log-cabin school, but when he arrived in Seattle in 1852, he turned the place into a real town instead of a collection of a…
ID Number:1960.1924
Date:Circa 1850-1890
Image of Noisemaker promoting Benjamin Harrison for United States President in 1892

Noisemaker promoting Benjamin Harrison for United States President in 1892

Benjamin Harrison was elected the twenty-third US President in 1888. When Harrison ran for re-election in 1892, he lost to Grover Cleveland. This promotional noisemaker is from the 1892 re-election campaign. One side features Harrison's profile with the slogan, "One good term deserves another," and the other side has his running mate, Whitelaw Reid, and "The Tippecanoe Rattler," referring to…
ID Number:1962.2682.5
Date:1892
Image of Ribbon commemorating President Taft's visit to the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE) in 1909

Ribbon commemorating President Taft's visit to the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE) in 1909

This ribbon celebrates the visit President William Howard Taft made to the AYPE in Seattle on September 30th, 1909. Taft Day was attended by nearly 61,000 people, making it one of the most popular days at the fair overall. President Taft came to the fair heavily guarded as President William McKinley had been assassinated in 1901 at the Pan-American Exposition…
ID Number:1963.3133.32.1
Date:1909
Image of Slat back side chair, 1860-1880

Slat back side chair, 1860-1880

This chair, one of twenty-five, was used in the First Washington Territorial Legislature. Established in 1853, the Washington Territory consisted of what is today Washington State, and part of Idaho and Montana. President Franklin Pierce appointed Isaac I. Stevens as the first Washington Territorial governor, and Stevens called for elections to the legislative assembly. The Legislature consisted of a nine-member…
ID Number:1963.3191.1
Date:1860-1880
Image of Handkerchief featuring Benjamin Harrison for President and Levi P. Morton for Vice President, 1888

Handkerchief featuring Benjamin Harrison for President and Levi P. Morton for Vice President, 1888

Benjamin Harrison, with his running mate Levi P. Morton, won the election to become the twenty-third US President in 1888. One of their campaign platforms was "Protect Home Industry."
ID Number:1965.3748.1
Date:1888
Image of Elgin pocket watch, ca. mid-late 1800s

Elgin pocket watch, ca. mid-late 1800s

This watch belonged to Watson Allen who was born in New Jersey in 1842 and served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He settled in Seattle sometime after the war and was elected the King County representative to the first Washington State legislature in 1889. During his life in Seattle, Allen accomplished the following: promoted the development of…
ID Number:1966.3928.1
Date:Circa 1850-1890
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MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
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