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Mayors' Messages, 1896-1989

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). City Clerk
Title
Mayors' Messages
Dates
1896-1989 (inclusive)
Quantity
5.2 cubic ft., ((13 boxes))
Collection Number
1802-C2
Summary
Vetoes, messages, and other communications of various Seattle mayors, 1896-1989.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The City Clerk maintains the City's legislative records, official filings, and the Seattle Municipal Archives; keeps the minutes of City Council meetings; and provides information services to City agencies and the public. Seattle's first City Charter allowed for a Clerk of the Common Council to be elected by the Council. In 1875 the position of City Clerk became elective and remained so until 1896 when the new Charter designated the Comptroller ex-officio City Clerk. The Comptroller served as City Clerk through 1992. A 1991 City Charter amendment transferred the Comptroller's function to the Department of Finance and the City Clerk's Office became a division of the Legislative Department effective in 1993.

The Mayor is the chief executive officer of the City with responsibilities for law enforcement, appointing department heads, administering City departments and programs, and preparing and executing the City budget. Seattle's original Charter (1869) created the position of Mayor who served as ex-officio President of the Common Council. The 1875 Charter gave the Mayor a vote on Council. That was amended in 1886 to provide for a tie-breaking vote only. The 1890 Charter completely separated the Executive and Legislative branches. Mayoral terms were set at 4 years by the 1946 City Charter.

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Content Description

The Mayor’s Messages are a subset of the Comptroller Files or Clerk Files, known as CF Files, which consist of a wide variety of documents filed with the City Clerk’s Office. In 13 boxes, measuring 5.2 cubic feet, the Mayor’s Messages date from 1896 to 1989. The Messages are arranged chronologically by Mayor. Although a large percentage of Mayor’s Messages are represented in this collection, this collection is not a complete set of the Mayor’s Messages for these years. Additional Mayor’s Messages are added to the record group on an ongoing basis.

Consisting primarily of vetoes to Council Bills, the Mayor’s Messages also include annual messages to City Council, budget messages, executive orders, proclamations and various other communications. The Annual Messages are useful summaries of accomplishments for a specific year and also identify key issues for the following year from the Mayor's perspective. The vetoes are useful for identifying significant issues through the years. For example, liquor licenses are a frequent subject of vetoes through 1913, and railways and related issues can be traced through vetoes through the 1920s. Garbage collection is another issue that arises several times between 1903 and 1913. Of note is the quantity of vetoes submitted by Mayor Gill for the years 1910-1917.

While the Mayor’s Messages, in many cases, reflect the tone of the relationship the mayor had with Council, it should be noted that not all Council Bills were vetoed because of disagreement with the Council. Some Council Bills were vetoed for purely technical reasons. The abbreviation "CB" is used to denote "Council Bill" throughout the collection.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Seattle Mayors' Messages, Record Series 1802-C2. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Messages and vetoes are arranged chronologically by mayor.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Land use--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • License system--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Public utilities--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Railroads--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Refuse collection--Washington (State)--Seattle

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). City Council

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government

Form or Genre Terms

  • Executive orders
  • Proclamations

Occupations

  • Mayors--Washington (State)--Seattle

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • Seattle (Wash.). Mayor (creator)

Finding aid prepared by Anne Frantilla
2002

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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