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HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

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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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506 results for: Government and Public Services

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Image of Dr. Ralph Bunche, Seattle, July 8, 1949
Photograph

Dr. Ralph Bunche, Seattle, July 8, 1949

Dr. Ralph Bunche was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as a United Nations mediator in Palestine during the 1948 conflict between Arabs and Jews. He was the first African American to receive the prize. Dr. Bunche (1904-1971) said mediators "should be biased against suspicion, intolerance, hate, religious and racial bigotry."Dr. Bunche came to Seattle in July 1949…
ID Number:2014.49.009.092.0365
Date:1949
Image of Postal workers at post office, Seattle, circa 1944
Photograph

Postal workers at post office, Seattle, circa 1944

A smiling man holding wrapped gifts is surrounded by unidentified fellow employees in the mail sorting area of the U.S. Post Office on Broadway near E. Pine Street. These may be work colleagues of the photographer, Al Smith.
ID Number:2014.49.014.061.0145
Date:Circa 1944
Image of Sorting room in the Broadway Station, U.S. Post Office, Seattle, circa 1950
Photograph

Sorting room in the Broadway Station, U.S. Post Office, Seattle, circa 1950

In the mid-1950s, Al Smith began working as a mail carrier at the Post Office and stayed for 25 years. He was proud of his work there and appreciated the post office job for its security, fair wages, and relative lack of discrimination. The job afforded him both a middle-class lifestyle and an opportunity to pursue his avocation of photography.…
ID Number:2014.49.018.024.0053
Date:Circa 1950
Image of U.S. Post Office convention officials, Seattle, 1950
Photograph

U.S. Post Office convention officials, Seattle, 1950

In 1950, the U.S. Post Office held a convention in Seattle. Here, in front of a Northwest Airlines Boeing Stratocruiser airplane, an unidentified official shakes hands with George Starr, Postmaster for Seattle (2nd from right).
ID Number:2014.49.018.045.0097
Date:1950
Image of Marching band at the U.S. Post Office convention, Seattle, 1950
Photograph

Marching band at the U.S. Post Office convention, Seattle, 1950

The marching band from Seattle Branch 79 of the National Association of Letter Carriers plays at an unidentified hotel for the 1950 U.S. Post Office convention.
ID Number:2014.49.018.045.0098
Date:1950
Image of Arrival of U.S. Post Office convention officials and guests, Seattle, 1950
Photograph

Arrival of U.S. Post Office convention officials and guests, Seattle, 1950

In 1950, the U.S. Post Office held a convention in Seattle. Here, in front of a Northwest Airlines Boeing Stratocruiser airplane, officials and guests walk past the local marching band of the National Association of Letter Carriers. George Starr, Seattle Postmaster, is to the right of the woman with the bouquet. Others are unidentified.
ID Number:2014.49.018.045.0099
Date:1950
Image of Voting Machine Sample Ballot, King County, September 19, 1972
Poster

Voting Machine Sample Ballot, King County, September 19, 1972

In 1972 King County had 720,359 registered voters, 120,000 of whom were first-time voters. The county was redistricted shortly before the November 19 primary election and a new Votomatic (punch card) system was introduced, both causing much confusion among voters. In an effort to address concerns, Ralph L. Dillon, acting director of the King County Record and Elections Department, and…
ID Number:2015.73.2
Date:1972
Image of Seattle City Light employee group outside building, January 9, 1957
Photograph

Seattle City Light employee group outside building, January 9, 1957

The image pictured here of the employees of Seattle City Light's shops and warehouse was taken outside the building at Fourth Avenue South and Spokane Street, a location now referred to as the South Service Center. The 139 individuals pictured here are identified on a separate piece of paper included with the print. Handwritten on image: Seattle, Wn. - City…
ID Number:2015.97.114
Date:1957
Image of Traffic Flow map, Seattle, 1931
Cartographic material

Traffic Flow map, Seattle, 1931

Seattle's Department of Streets and Sewers operated from 1875 through 1936. The Department was responsible for the planning, construction, repair, and cleaning of the city's sewers, streets, and sidewalks. James W. A. Bollong (1885-1968) served as Seattle's first Traffic Engineer in this department during the 1930s.Drawn by Maurice Donald Van Arsdol (1896-1962), Traffic Engineer under Mr. Bollong, this map highlights…
ID Number:2016.44.1
Date:1931
Image of
Ephemera

"Divide the tax load with initiative no. 69" leaflet, 1932

Two hotly contested initiatives were on the November 8, 1932 ballot in Washington State: The Washington 40-Mill Tax Levy Limit Initiative, also known as Initiative 64, was approved by 61% of voters, limiting property taxes to 2 percent of assessed value; and the Washington Income Tax for Schools Initiative, also known as Initiative 69, which won 71 percent of the…
ID Number:2018.3.3.11
Date:1932
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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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