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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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256 results for: Politics and Politicians

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Image of Mayor Gill and Police Chief Warren posing together, Seattle, 1917
Photograph

Mayor Gill and Police Chief Warren posing together, Seattle, 1917

In December 1917, Seattle Mayor Hiram C. Gill (1866-1919) appointed Joel "Joe" F. Warren (1858-1934) as chief of police. This photo shows Warren, left, with Mayor Gill in an office, probably shortly after his appointment. Webster & Stevens number: 57714Caption information source: Seattle Times, December 11, 1917, p.1
ID Number:1983.10.10491.1
Date:1917
Image of Mayor Hugh Caldwell, Seattle, circa 1921
Photograph

Mayor Hugh Caldwell, Seattle, circa 1921

Handwritten on sleeve: Mayor Caldwell Cigarette.Webster & Stevens number: 90733
ID Number:1983.10.10943.2
Date:Circa 1921
Image of Mayor Doc Brown posing dressed as a preacher, Seattle, 1925
Photograph

Mayor Doc Brown posing dressed as a preacher, Seattle, 1925

Edwin J. "Doc" Brown (1864-1941) was a two-term mayor of Seattle, elected in May 1922 and again in 1924. He graduated from Kansas City School of Law in 1899, and worked as a dentist, thus earning the nickname "Doc" Brown. As a politician during prohibition, Brown personally did not drink alcohol, but supported the public's right to drink.In late 1925,…
ID Number:1983.10.12247.2
Date:1925
Videorecording

Oral history interview with Joel Pritchard, August 19, 1985

Joel Pritchard (1925-1997) was a Republican politician and Seattle native who served as a Washington state legislator, U.S. representative, and the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Washington. Interview conducted by Donald A. Schmechel on August 19, 1985. This interview is part of the Donald Schmechel Oral History Collection. Don Schmechel, who was a member of the Seattle Public Library Foundation board,…
ID Number:1985.135.22
Date:1985
Videorecording

Oral history interview with Al Rochester, September 24, 1985

Alfred Ruffner “Al” Rochester (1895-1989) was a lifelong Seattle resident. Rochester graduated from Broadway High School, served in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War I, and as state director of the Office of War Information during World War II. Rochester served on the Seattle City Council from 1944-1956, and at one time was chairman of the Parks and…
ID Number:1985.135.23
Date:1985
Image of American Legion exposes Communist College in Burke Building, Seattle, 1936
Photograph

American Legion exposes Communist College in Burke Building, Seattle, 1936

The Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) steadily gained membership through the 1930s, largely because of its success in organizing labor unions and its early opposition to fascism.In early 1936, the American Legion exposed a burgeoning "Communist College" set up in an office in the Burke Building at Second Avenue and Marion Street. Upon discovery, the office was hastily…
ID Number:1986.5.1894.1
Date:1936
Image of Men being loaded into a police paddy wagon, Seattle, 1936
Photograph

Men being loaded into a police paddy wagon, Seattle, 1936

The Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) steadily gained membership through the 1930s, largely because of its success in organizing labor unions and its early opposition to fascism. The American Legion was integral in exposing communist activity during this time. This photograph depicts men suspected of belonging to a communist organization being loaded into a paddy wagon. Written on…
ID Number:1986.5.1894.2
Date:1936
Image of Crowds meeting Freedom Train at King Street Station, Seattle, 1948
Photograph

Crowds meeting Freedom Train at King Street Station, Seattle, 1948

In 1947, the National Archives created a traveling museum called the Freedom Train, which stopped at 319 cities between 1947 and 1949. As part of an effort to underscore American freedoms in the post-war country, the display inside the rail cars included copies of the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact, a draft of the Declaration of Independence penned by Thomas…
ID Number:1986.5.3595.1
Date:1948
Image of Opening of Pacific Science Center, Seattle, October 22, 1962
Photograph

Opening of Pacific Science Center, Seattle, October 22, 1962

Many of the buildings at the Seattle World's Fair were intended to be permanent. The day after the World's Fair closed, the U.S. Science Pavilion reopened as the Pacific Science Center. President John F. Kennedy had been scheduled to make the official transfer to the City of Seattle, but was detained in Washington by the Cuban missile crisis.Here, Senator Warren…
ID Number:1986.5.10058.1
Date:1962
Image of Robert F. Kennedy and family visit the World's Fair, Seattle, 1962
Photograph

Robert F. Kennedy and family visit the World's Fair, Seattle, 1962

Many famous people visited the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. Here, U.S. Attorney-General Robert F. Kennedy, his wife Ethel, and several of their children make their visit. Handwritten on sleeve: Kennedy, Robert F. and family; U. S. Attorney General visits Century 21 (Seattle Worlds Fair). Date photograph was filed at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (date of photograph and file date may differ…
ID Number:1986.5.31222.1
Date:1962
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