Aubrey Davis papers, 1941-2013

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Davis, Aubrey, 1917-2013
Title
Aubrey Davis papers
Dates
1941-2013 (inclusive)
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

Related Materials

Materials related to Aubrey Davis's work with Group Health Cooperative were donated to that organization, and are available at the Group Health Historical Archives.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Accession No. 5548-001: Aubrey Davis papers, 1941-2006Return to Top

17.42 cubic feet (18 boxes)
13 photographic prints (color)
Arrangement: The collection is arranged by professional appointment and chronologically.

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.

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

3.23 cubic feet (5 boxes)
2 oversize vertical files
10 CD-ROM discs
3 VHS videotapes
1 3.5 in. floppy disc
1 audiocassette tape

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.)