Archives West Finding Aid

Lawyer, judge, and Seattle mayor Gordon Stanley Clinton was born in Alberta, Canada on April 13, 1920, to parents Gladys M. Hall and John Henry Clinton. The family moved to Seattle around 1921. The Clintons struggled during the Great Depression, and when John Henry Clinton died of a heart attack in 1935, Gladys and the Clinton children moved to the Theodora Home, a shelter for homeless women and children in the Ravenna neighborhood.

Gordon Clinton graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1937. While at Roosevelt, he was an honor roll student and was involved with the Hi-Y community service organization, the Rough Riders athletic honorary, the senior class publicity committee, and theater. He also worked odd jobs and was a Boy Scout, eventually reaching the rank of Eagle Scout. Between 1946 and 1962, Clinton was either a scoutmaster or assistant scoutmaster of his former troop. Following his high school graduation, Clinton enrolled at the University of Washington, during which time he also worked as a clerk for the Washington State Dairy Council and then as a night clerk at the Seattle office of the FBI. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1942, and then began at the University of Washington law school that same year.

Clinton's career with the FBI continued while he was in law school until June 1944, when he enlisted in the Navy and served during World War II. After the war, he returned to school and also worked at the office of King County Prosecuting Attorney. Clinton continued to work in that office as a deputy prosecutor following his graduation in 1947.

Clinton resigned from the prosecutor's office in 1949 and began a private practice. He was also appointed a municipal judge. In March 1956, he was elected mayor of Seattle, a position he would hold until 1964.

During his time as mayor, Clinton worked to create the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (Metro), the Puget Sound Regional Transportation Study, and an urban renewal agency. He also established a Sister City in Kobe, Japan and saw Seattle host the 1962 World's Fair. Following his tenure, Clinton returned to law and served as the legal representative for the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle from 1964 to 1974.

Throughout his career, Clinton was active in many different organizations, including the Boy Scouts, Seattle's First Methodist Church, the YMCA, the Municipal League, the Council of Churches, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and the Japan-America Society.

Clinton married Florence Vayhinger on December 19, 1942. They had three children: Barbara, Gordon Jr., and Deborah. Gordon Clinton died on November 19, 2011.

Source: http://www.historylink.org/File/10000