• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

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.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

91 results for: Politics and Politicians

Share:
Image of Special

Special "Royer" Rainier beer bottle given by Charles Royer to Don McGaffin for his birthday in July 1981

Charles Royer gave this special "Royer" Rainier beer bottle to Don McGaffin for his birthday in July 1981. It was a promotional item for his mayoral campaign.
ID Number:2016.83.3
Date:1981
Image of Polo shirt,

Polo shirt, "McDermott for Governor," 1972

Washington politician Jim McDermott (b. 1936) first ran for Governor in 1972. His mother Roseanna decorated this shirt for him with a patch from the bicycling organization League of American Wheelman on the front and “McDermott for Governor” on the back. He ended up losing in the primary to former Washington Governor Albert Rosellini but continued to be involved in…
ID Number:2016.85.1
Date:1972
Image of Promotional T-shirt from Washington political leader Jim McDermott,

Promotional T-shirt from Washington political leader Jim McDermott,"M & M: How Sweet It Is," 1980

Jim McDermott ran unsuccessfully for Washington State Governor several times in the 1970s and 1980s. The "M & M" stands for Jim McDermott (running for Governor) and Warren Magnuson (running for US Senate) both in 1980. McDermott was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1988 and was reelected thirteen times before retiring in 2016.
ID Number:2016.85.2
Date:1980
Image of Pair of Ivanka Trump heels with Nordstrom Rack discount stickers, 2017

Pair of Ivanka Trump heels with Nordstrom Rack discount stickers, 2017

Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom became the center of a controversy in early 2017 when they announced they were dropping Ivanka Trump's clothing and accessory brand from their stores. Newly-elected President Donald Trump tweeted about his daughter being treated "so unfairly" by Nordstrom and his advisor Kellyanne Conway urged Fox News viewers to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff.” This sparked concern about the…
ID Number:2017.12.1
Date:Circa 2016-2017
Image of Red

Red "No Seattle Commons" jacket, 1995-1996

The Seattle Commons was a proposal to build a massive park between Denny Way and the southern end of Lake Union. This jacket from the “no” campaign argues for saving the neighborhood of industrial warehouses and affordable housing. Voters rejected the Seattle Commons twice—in 1995 and 1996. Sweeping redevelopment soon transformed the South Lake Union area anyway.
ID Number:2017.40.1
Date:1995-1996
Image of Picket sign,

Picket sign, "Rebuild Viaduct, No Tunnel," ca. 2007

Although everyone agreed that the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct needed to be torn down, not everyone supported the Seattle Tunnel Boring project. There was a large contingent of people who wanted to rebuild the Alaskan Way Viaduct, led by the Citizens for an Elevated Solution. In 2007, a vote of preference was put before the citizens of Seattle and King…
ID Number:2017.64.1
Date:Circa 2007
Image of Pin,

Pin, "I (heart) the tunnel," ca. 2007

The Seattle Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), nicknamed "Bertha" after the city's first female mayor Bertha Knight Landes, was the largest TBM ever built at the time in 2012. For over 4 years, Bertha dug a nearly 2-mile long tunnel along the city's waterfront, completing it's underground journey in 2019. This pin was worn by a supporter of the tunnel project…
ID Number:2017.64.2
Date:Circa 2007
Image of Campaign pin,

Campaign pin, "Jackson for President 1972"

Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson (1912-1983) was aa US Representative (1941–1953) and US Senator (1953–1983) from the state of Washington. His platform ranged from higher military spending and cold war tactics to social welfare programs, civil rights, and labor unions. Jackson was born in Everett, Washington, to Norwegian immigrants, and graduated from the University of Washington School of Law. He ran…
ID Number:2018.51.4
Date:1972
Image of Campaign button,

Campaign button, "Aubrey Davis," ca. 1970s

Aubrey Davis (1917-2013) was a Mercer Island mayor for two terms starting in 1970. He was a public transportation and health care advocate, politician, environmentalist, and businessman.
ID Number:2019.40.1
Date:Circa 1970
Image of Campaign button,

Campaign button, "John Spellman is running for me," 1969

John Spellman (1926-2018) was elected the first King County executive in 1969 and later the governor in 1980.
ID Number:2019.40.2
Date:1969
Previous 1 … 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next

Land Acknowledgement

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
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved