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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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525 results for: Government and Public Services

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Image of Norm Rice, Constance Williams Rice, and Mian Rice, after Mayoral swearing-in, Seattle, January 2, 1990
Photograph

Norm Rice, Constance Williams Rice, and Mian Rice, after Mayoral swearing-in, Seattle, January 2, 1990

Seattle politician Norman Blann Rice (1943-) was first elected to the Seattle City Council in 1978. Rice served eleven years, participating as chairs of the Energy, Finance, and Budget committees, and was Council President for one term. From 1989 to 1997 Rice served two terms as the 49th mayor, becoming Seattle's first African-American mayor. Rice has remained a civic leader…
ID Number:2000.107.152.12.06
Date:1990
Image of Michael Lerner leading IRS protest, Seattle, April 15, 1970
Photograph

Michael Lerner leading IRS protest, Seattle, April 15, 1970

On April 15, 1970, thirty students from the University of Washington Student Mobilization Committee Against the Vietnam War staged a short demonstration outside of IRS headquarters to protest the use of tax money to support the war in Vietnam. In this image, Seattle Liberation Front leader Michael Lerner, an assistant professor at the University of Washington, talks to government agents…
ID Number:2000.107.153.10.02
Date:1970
Image of Student protest at IRS headquarters, Seattle, April 15, 1970
Photograph

Student protest at IRS headquarters, Seattle, April 15, 1970

On April 15, 1970, thirty students from the University of Washington Student Mobilization Committee Against the Vietnam War staged a short demonstration outside of IRS headquarters to protest the use of tax money to support the war in Vietnam. In this image, demonstrators carry signs outside the IRS offices at Sixth Avenue and Lenora Street in downtown Seattle. The protesters…
ID Number:2000.107.153.10.03
Date:1970
Image of Charles Carroll addressing protesters outside City Hall, Seattle, May 6, 1970
Photograph

Charles Carroll addressing protesters outside City Hall, Seattle, May 6, 1970

On May 1, 1970, protests erupted in Seattle following the announcement by President Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994) that U.S. Forces in Vietnam would pursue enemy troops into Cambodia, a neutral country. The focus of protest activity was the University of Washington, but anti-war protests and disruptions also swept downtown. The 1970 UW student strike would continue throughout the month of…
ID Number:2000.107.153.12.01
Date:1970
Image of Picketers outside the Washington Public Assistance office, Seattle, April 2, 1971
Photograph

Picketers outside the Washington Public Assistance office, Seattle, April 2, 1971

Seattle did not escape the high inflation and high unemployment rates of the worldwide recession of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some 66,000 Boeing workers were laid off in 1969 and 1970, and the state’s unemployment rate was the highest in the nation. The state legislature sharply reduced welfare grants effective April 1, 1971. At that time, some 70,000…
ID Number:2000.107.153.15.02
Date:1971
Image of Property tax protesters in rotunda of Washington State Capitol, April 3, 1971
Photograph

Property tax protesters in rotunda of Washington State Capitol, April 3, 1971

In April 1971, about 500 property owners jammed the State Capitol Rotunda in Olympia to protest spiraling property taxes. Many of the protesters were elderly people from North Seattle, where property taxes had risen more than 100 percent over the previous year. This photo shows protestors seated on the steps in the Rotunda waiting to hear from State legislators, several…
ID Number:2000.107.153.22.11
Date:1971
Image of Property tax protesters in rotunda of Washington State Capitol, April 3, 1971
Photograph

Property tax protesters in rotunda of Washington State Capitol, April 3, 1971

In April 1971, about 500 property owners jammed the State Capitol Rotunda in Olympia to protest spiraling property taxes. Many of the protesters were elderly people from North Seattle, where property taxes had risen more than 100 percent over the previous year. This photo shows protestors seated on the steps in the Rotunda, perhaps listening to one of the several…
ID Number:2000.107.153.22.12
Date:1971
Image of Paul Dorpat and Tom Robbins at City Council hearing, Seattle, April 4, 1967
Photograph

Paul Dorpat and Tom Robbins at City Council hearing, Seattle, April 4, 1967

Author Tom Robbins (1932-2025) was known for his novels, articles, essays, and support for progressive causes. In this image Tom Robbins, right, sits with historian Paul Dorpat (1938-) at an appeal hearing in front of the Seattle City Council License Committee. As the "only professional art critic in the Northwest," Robbins testified that Dorpat's permit application for a dance held…
ID Number:2000.107.153.38.01
Date:1967
Image of Employee at the Federal Reserve Bank, Seattle, January 14, 1954
Photograph

Employee at the Federal Reserve Bank, Seattle, January 14, 1954

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco opened a branch in Seattle in 1917. After some years in leased space, the Seattle Branch moved into its own, purpose-built building on Second Avenue and Madison Street in 1951. Among the branch's many responsibilities were the handling and distribution of coins and currency.Here, Ella Dalton sorts and cancels worn out bills with…
ID Number:2000.107.165.11.02
Date:1954
Image of Employee at the Federal Reserve Bank, Seattle, 1951
Photograph

Employee at the Federal Reserve Bank, Seattle, 1951

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco opened a branch in Seattle in 1917. After some years in leased space, the Seattle Branch moved into its own, purpose-built building on Second Avenue and Madison Street in 1951. Among the branch's many responsibilities were the handling and distribution of coins and currency.Here, coin sorter Robert Popilek works at his machine at…
ID Number:2000.107.165.11.03
Date:1951
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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.
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