James Reed “Jim” Ellis (b. 1921) is widely regarded as the most visionary civic activist in King County history.

Born in California, Ellis family moved to Seattle with his family in 1923. He attended John Muir Elementary School and Franklin High School, and graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in 1948.

In the 1950s, Ellis was a leader in the campaign to clean up Lake Washington of the sewage being discharged into the lake from the growing city. This led to the creation of the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (Metro) and the cleanup of Lake Washington in 1958. In the 1960s, he led the development of an ambitious plan for public works in King County. Called “Forward Thrust,” the 1968 bond issue funded capital improvements in Seattle, including news parks and trails, fire stations, swimming pools, a domed stadium, an aquarium, a modern zoo, and improved streets. In the 1970s, Ellis worked to win passage of a bond measure to protect farmlands and green belts threatened by development. He also championed the construction (1988) and then expansion (2001) of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. In the 1990s, Ellis spearheaded the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, to preserving the scenic, environmental, and historic qualities of a 100-mile stretch along Interstate 90.

Ellis’s honors include a First Citizen award from the Seattle-King County Association of Realtors in 1968, a national Jefferson Award in 1976, and a Lifetime Achievement award from American Lawyer in 2005.

Interview conducted by John F. Henry on March 13, July 1 and July 15, 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, began this project with Seattle Public Library in 1984, with the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) brought on board as a partner in early 1985. Schmechel himself worked to raise the funding for the project, and volunteered his time to manage the project, and to conduct interviews along with a crew of volunteers. Originally titled the Videotaping Historic Figures (VHF) Program, the project interviewed 91 people, and MOHAI holds the interviews for 32 of these individuals.