Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Aubrey Davis papers, 1941-2013
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Davis, Aubrey, 1917-2013
- Title
- Aubrey Davis papers
- Dates
- 1941-2013 (inclusive)19412013
- Quantity
-
20.65 cubic feet (23 boxes)
2 oversize vertical files
13 photographic prints (color)
10 CD-ROM discs
3 VHS videotapes
1 3.5 in. floppy disc
1 audiocassette tape - Collection Number
- 5548
- Summary
- Professional papers of Aubrey Davis, elected official and public policy analyst
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Open to all users.
Some material stored offsite; advance notice required for use.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Aubrey Davis (1917-2013) started working for the U.S. Public Housing Administration (PHA) in 1946, remaining with the PHA until an internal reorganization moved his job to San Francisco. Davis was in charge of the War Housing Project while with the PHA. After the reorganization, Davis took a position with the U.S. Wage Stabilization Board in order to remain in Seattle, remaining in that job until 1954.
He and his wife joined Group Health Cooperative (Seattle) within a month of its establishment in 1947. Davis was active in many of the early discussions regarding how the cooperative ought to operate, and became a member of Group Health's Board of Trustees in November of 1951.
He was head of the Lake City Sewer District in the 1950's, and in 1954, along with two other men, he acquired a waterproofing and insulating company that he and his co-owners renamed Gaco Western.
In 1968, Davis was elected to the Mercer Island City Council. He served 11 years on the council, including a term as Mayor from 1970 to 1972. As mayor, he formed a committee to study the passage of I-90 through Mercer Island, and was a vocal opponent of the state's initial plan for expanding the freeway. Ultimately Davis was successful in lobbying the state to work with the Mercer Island community in the design process, and the plans were significantly altered as a result.
Given this experience, and Davis's position as Mercer Island's representative on the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle Council, he took on the role of Metro Transit Committee Chair and guided the agency through the takeover of Seattle's transit program. He received the Democratic nomination for King County Executive in 1977, but ultimately lost in a three-way race against Republican incumbent John Spellman (the eventual winner) and Independent candidate Harley Hoppe.
Shortly after the election in 1977, Davis was appointed the head of the regional office of the federal Department of Transportation by then-Transportation Secretary Brock Adams (a former Congressman from Seattle). The next year, Adams' replacement as Transportation Secretary, Neil Goldschmidt, named Davis the regional administrator of the Urban Mass Transit Administration (UMTA). Davis remained at the UMTA until 1987, with the brief exception of the months he spent managing Senator Warren G. Magnuson's unsuccessful re-election campaign in 1980. His influence at the UMTA provided federal funds for many transit projects in the Pacific Northwest.
During the mid-1980s, Davis also served as a member of the Municipal League of Seattle and returned to Group Health's Board of Trustees. In late 1987, Davis stepped down from both the UMTA and Group Health's board to become president and CEO of Group Health. He remained in that position until 1991, when he took over the role of President Emeritus.
Following the 1990 sinking of the I-90 Bridge, a panel was formed to investigate the causes of this event. Davis was appointed chair of the governor's Blue Ribbon Panel and remained on the panel for the duration of the investigation. Davis remained involved in transportation throughout this time, serving on the Washington State Transportation Commission from 1992 to 2004, and participating in the early planning for the Regional Transit Authority that became Sound Transit. He was a major advocate for the expansion of rail service in the Pacific Northwest, as well as expanded HOV lanes on major highways.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Reports, memoranda, clippings, correspondence, minutes, campaign materials, speeches and writings, awards and honors, maps, photographs
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The creators' literary rights have been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged into 2 accessions:
- Accession no. 5548-001, Aubrey Davis papers, 1941-2006
- Accession no. 5548-002, Aubrey Davis papers, 1971-2013
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Accession No. 5548-001: Aubrey Davis papers, 1941-2006Return to Top
Scope and Content: Reports, memoranda, clippings, correspondence, minutes, campaign materials, speeches and writings, awards and honors, maps, and photographs of Aubrey Davis.
These professional files relate to the Public Housing Administration (PHA), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Mercer Island city government, Forward Thrust, Metro Transit Committee, the I-90 Bridge and the Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel investigation of the bridge's sinking in 1990, Citizens' Transit Advisory Committee, Mayor's Task Force on the Arts, New Wien Airlines, Washington State Transportation Commission, Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA), Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) and "Vision 2020", the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), Davis’s bid for King County Executive office in 1977, and his management of Senator Warren G. Magnuson’s re-election campaign in 1980.
Physical/Technical Access: Records are stored off-site; advance notice required for use.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Records are stored off-site; advance notice required for use.
Acquisition Info: Source: Aubrey Davis, June 2010
Processing Info: Minimally processed by James Rosenzweig; processing completed in 2010
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Accession | ||
1 | 5548-001 | Public Housing Administration/Housing & Urban
Development |
1941-1951 |
2 | 5548-001 | Mercer Island city government |
1966-1995 |
3 | 5548-001 | Mercer Island city government |
1967-1988 |
3 | 5548-001 | Metro Transit |
1971-1972 |
4 | 5548-001 | Forward Thrust and Metro Transit |
1967-1992 |
4 | 5548-001 |
Metro Monitor
General Notes: Some issues are missing from the 1972-1978 run of this
publication.
|
1972-1978 |
5 | 5548-001 | Metro Transit |
1971-1978 |
5 | 5548-001 | I-90 Bridge |
1971-1975 |
6 | 5548-001 | I-90 Bridge & Governor's Blue Ribbon
Panel |
1979-1993 |
7 | 5548-001 | Metropolitan Council minutes
Scope and Content: One group photograph is included in this material.
|
1973-1978 |
7 | 5548-001 | Transit Committee minutes |
1973-1978 |
7 | 5548-001 | Citizens' Transit Advisory Committee minutes |
1973-1978 |
8 | 5548-001 | Transportation |
1975-2006 |
8 | 5548-001 | Campaign for King County Executive |
1977 |
9 | 5548-001 | Campaign for King County Executive |
1977 |
10 | 5548-001 | Senator Warren G. Magnuson's 1980 re-election
campaign
Scope and Content: A folder of 11 photographs is included in this box. Ten are
portraits of Aubrey Davis. One is a group photo that includes both Davis and
Brock Adams, which is signed by Adams.
|
1980-1983 |
10 | 5548-001 | Mayor's Task Force on the Arts |
1986 |
10 | 5548-001 | New Wien Airlines |
1985 |
10 | 5548-001 | The Urban Mass Transportation Commission |
1979-1988 |
11 | 5548-001 | Transportation |
1974-1990 |
11 | 5548-001 | "Reading File" |
1983-1987 |
11 | 5548-001 | Puget Sound Regional Council |
1992-1995 |
11 | 5548-001 | Vision 2020 |
1993-1994 |
12 | 5548-001 | Puget Sound Regional Council |
1992-1993 |
12 | 5548-001 | Department of Transportation - Ferries |
1990-1995 |
13 | 5548-001 | Washington State Transportation Commission
Scope and Content: A group photograph of the members of the Commission is included
with this material.
|
1992-1995 |
14 | 5548-001 | Transportation
Scope and Content: Topics include HOV, ISTEA, and Legislation
|
1978-1995 |
15 | 5548-001 | Transportation
Scope and Content: Topics include Legislation and Rail
|
1992-1995 |
16 | 5548-001 | Transportation |
1989-1995 |
16 | 5548-001 | Regional Transit Authority |
1991-1995 |
17 | 5548-001 | Regional Transit Authority |
1992-1995 |
17 | 5548-001 | Transportation |
1990-1995 |
18 | 5548-001 | Washington State Department of Transportation -
TRANS2000 |
1994 |
18 | 5548-001 | Aubrey Davis Day Proclamation |
2002 |
Accession No. 5548-002: Aubrey Davis papers, 1971-2013Return to Top
Scope and Content: Reports, memoranda, clippings, correspondence, minutes, writings, artifacts and audiovisual materials.
Files relating to the Citizen Oversight Panel (COP), Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, Sound Transit, Metro Transit Committee, the I-90 Bridge, Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation, Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) and "Vision 2020", and the Municipal League of King County.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Acquisition Info: Donor: Trisha Davis, April 11, 2013.
Processing Info: Minimally processed by Jason Moore; processing completed in 2013
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Accession | ||
1 | 5548-002 | Citizen Oversight Panel |
2005-2012 |
1 | 5548-002 | Sound Transit |
2000-2012 |
1 | 5548-002 | Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel |
1986-2001 |
1 | 5548-002 | Central Puget Sound Transit Authority |
2009 |
1 | 5548-002 | Link Tacoma fares |
2006 |
1 | 5548-002 | U-Link construction schedule |
undated |
1 | 5548-002 | Revenue sources for transportation financing |
undated |
1 | 5548-002 | WSDOT Ferries Division Update |
2008 |
1 | 5548-002 | Puget Sound H.O.V. system |
2008 |
1 | 5548-002 | Puget Sound Regional Council |
1995-2005 |
1 | 5548-002 | Climate change and transportation |
2007-2008 |
1 | 5548-002 | Metro Transit finances |
2009 |
1 | 5548-002 | I-90 |
1974-2006 |
1 | 5548-002 | Commentary on proposed Metro Transit
planning |
1986 |
1 | 5548-002 | Proposed Metro Transit plan |
1972 |
1 | 5548-002 | Downtown Seattle Transit Project binder |
1985 |
1 | 5548-002 | Proclamation of the City of Mercer Island recognizing
Aubrey Davis |
2005 |
1 | 5548-002 | Transportation 2040 |
2009-2010 |
1 | 5548-002 | Clippings |
1989-2007 |
2 | 5548-002 | Ten myths of transportation presentation |
undated |
2 | 5548-002 | Cooperative Development Committee |
2012 |
2 | 5548-002 | North corridor alternative analysis |
1984 |
2 | 5548-002 | Puget Sound Regional Council |
2012-2013 |
2 | 5548-002 | Transportation funding |
2006-2010 |
2 | 5548-002 | Transportation data |
2000-2008 |
2 | 5548-002 | East Link project |
2008-2009 |
2 | 5548-002 | Transportation agency budgets |
1997 |
2 | 5548-002 | Sound Transit Expert Review Panel |
2005-2008 |
2 | 5548-002 | Transportation costs |
1999-2010 |
2 | 5548-002 | County Transportation Overview |
2012 |
2 | 5548-002 | Assessment of I-5 tunnel concept |
2006 |
2 | 5548-002 | Minutes to a PSRC Transportation Policy Board
meeting |
2013 |
2 | 5548-002 | Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation |
2000 |
2 | 5548-002 | Transit Operations Task Force |
2009 |
2 | 5548-002 | Sounder Commuter Rail |
2005-2008 |
2 | 5548-002 | I-1098 proposal |
2005-2011 |
2 | 5548-002 | Municipal League of King County |
2007-2008 |
2 | 5548-002 | Electric cars |
2007-2008 |
2 | 5548-002 | Initiative 985 |
2008 |
2 | 5548-002 | Doug MacDonald on transit |
2008 |
2 | 5548-002 | Sound Transit Phase 2 |
2008 |
2 | 5548-002 | SR 520 |
1977-2008 |
2 | 5548-002 | Transportation 2040 |
2010-2012 |
2 | 5548-002 | Port of Seattle Harbor Development Strategy final
report |
2001 |
2 | 5548-002 | Ten Years of Metro Transit |
1983 |
2 | 5548-002 | Humorous resolution from the City of Mercer Island
recognizing Aubrey Davis |
1978 |
2 | 5548-002 | Photographs |
undated |
2 | 5548-002 | Photocopies of plaques and awards |
1971-1995 |
3 | 5548-002 | Metro Transit Supervisor's cap (souvenir from Metro
workers) |
undated |
4 | 5548-002 | Transportation construction souvenirs |
1990/1998 |
5 | 5548-002 | Media (CD-ROMs, VHS tapes, audiocassette) |
undated |
VF:oversize | |||
125 | 5548-002 | Resolution by the City of Seattle commending Aubrey
Davis |
1978 |
126 | 5548-002 | Acknowlegement for Aubrey Davis' work on transportation
policy |
2011 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
- Transportation--Washington (State)--Seattle--Planning
- Veterans--United States--Housing
Personal Names
- Davis, Aubrey, 1917-2013--Archives
Corporate Names
- Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Wash.). Citizen Oversight Panel
- Forward Thrust (Seattle, Wash.)
- Puget Sound Regional Council
- United States. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- United States. Public Housing Administration
Geographical Names
- Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (Seattle, Wash.)
- Mercer Island (Wash.)