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The mayor is the chief executive officer of the City with responsibility for enforcing the laws of the City and administering its departments and programs. 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. Forty-nine mayors have served Seattle. Since 1946 they have been William F. Devin, 1942-1952; Allan Pomeroy, 1952-1956; Gordon S. Clinton, 1956-1964; James Dorm Braman, 1964-1969; Floyd C. Miller, 1969; Wesley C. Uhlman, 1969-1977; Charles T. Royer, 1978-1989; and Norm Rice, 1990-present. Prior to establishment of the Seattle Municipal Archives, the University of Washington collected the mayoral records of Clinton, Braman, and Uhlman. It also has earlier records of William Earl Millikin, 1941-1942; and Robert Moran, 1888-1890.

Proceedings of a three member committee hearing protests, claims, and offers regarding adjustments of assessment taxes for local improvements. Includes meeting minutes, resolutions, and determinations.

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Braman served as Mayor of Seattle from 1964 until 1969 when he resigned to become Assistant Secretary of Urban Systems and Environment in the United States Department of Transportation. Braman's mayoral records are housed at the University of Washington.

Correspondence with City departments, offices, and special committees and commissions. Bulk dates are 1963-1969. Arranged alphabetically for each year.

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Incoming and outgoing correspondence with or about non-City institutions and agencies. Bulk dates are 1964-1968. Arranged alphabetically for each year.

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Chronological file of outgoing correspondence.

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Correspondence, memoranda, reports, surveys, and studies relating to Braman's activities as Mayor. Bulk years are 1963-1969. Arranged alphabetically for each year.

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Clinton served two terms as Mayor of Seattle from 1956 to 1964. His mayoral records are located at the University of Washington.

Correspondence, reports, and studies, financial papers, minutes, notes and memoranda, and ephemera relating to Clinton's term as mayor. Includes departmental files and correspondence with agencies and individuals outside City government. Arranged alphabetically for each year.

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Speeches and writings of Mayor Clinton, generally from his term as mayor.

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Newspaper and magazine clippings relating to Seattle City government and Mayor Clinton.

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Commemorative photographs given to Mayor Clinton following his official trip to Kobe, Japan; Taipei, Republic of China; and Manila, Philippines in November 1959.

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Millikin was elected Mayor in 1941 to fill the vacancy left when Arthur Langlie became Governor. Millikin served 15 months. His mayoral records are a small portion of a larger collection of personal papers located at the University of Washington.

Correspondence, memoranda, orders, and applications relating to City departments during Millikin's term as mayor. Of particular interest is material relating to the disposition of the City's Hooverville.

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Correspondence, reports, and studies relating to Millikin's term as Mayor. Subjects include national defense, censorship, housing, and streets. Arranged alphabetically by subject.

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Speeches, statements of candidacy, press releases, radio broadcasts, and annual messages by or about Millikin.

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Moran served two one-year terms as Mayor of Seattle from 1888-1890. He was Mayor during the Great Fire of 1889. This small collection, located at the University of Washington, post-dates the fire.

Mayoral correspondence dealing especially with fire protection services and equipment. Moran was mayor during and immediately after the fire that destroyed Seattle's commercial district in 1889.

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Rice was elected mayor of Seattle for the term beginning January 1, 1990 and was reelected four years later. He is the first African-American mayor in Seattle's history. Prior to his election as mayor, Rice served eleven years on City Council.

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, studies, and briefing materials to and from City agencies regarding the full range of municipal government activities.

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Correspondence, memoranda, reports, studies, and other materials to and from non-city government agencies, businesses, associations, and the general public. Topics generally cover matters outside the direct jurisdiction of City departments.

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Transition document prepared by the outgoing Mayor's staff for the new administration. It contains a comprehensive snapshot of city government including an overview of the city's organizational structure, significant transition issues, administrative procedures, a review of city-wide financial procedures, a listing of appointments that fall to the mayor, and an overview of the operation of the Executive Department. It provides a comprehensive snapshot (in 1989) of City government organization and issues.

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Activity reports filed with the Mayor each week by Executive Department directors and superintendents.

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Royer served as Mayor of Seattle from 1978 to 1989, encompassing three terms. He chose not to run for a fourth term. Following his tenure as Mayor, he joined the faculty of the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

Correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating to City departmental activities and programs. Arranged alphabetically for each year.

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Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and studies maintained by Mayor Royer's office. Arranged alphabetically by subject for each year.

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Correspondence, memoranda, reports, copies of legislation, and City Attorney opinions relating to City-involved litigation, ordinances and codes, and subjects of a legal nature. Also included are some records from Mayor Wes Uhlman's legal staff.

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Proclamations, vetoes, directives, and executive orders of Mayor Charles Royer.

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Weekly program and project progress and activity reports to the mayor from executive department heads.

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Correspondence, memoranda, newspaper clippings, notes, reports, and press releases of Mayor Royer's communications and public information staff.

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Correspondence, resumes, and evaluations of individuals interviewed for department director positions. Includes applications packets for individuals appointed by the Mayor.

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Speeches delivered to local, regional, national, and international conferences, seminars, colloquia, and special meetings. Primarily speeches given during the 1978-1982 period; also includes budget messages and State of the City speeches from 1978-1990.

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Correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating to subjects of concern to Bob Royer during his tenure as Deputy Mayor. Primary subjects include transportation, housing, and energy and regional power issues. Arranged alphabetically.

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These are the files of deputy mayor Carol Lewis. They include correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating especially to housing, land use, and downtown development.

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Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and studies relating primarily to land use and transportation issues and planning for Seattle Center development.

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Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and studies relating primarily to health and human services issues, especially public health concerns and homelessness.

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Correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating to human services issues including welfare reform, youth services, the homeless, and alcoholism and drug abuse.

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Correspondence, memoranda, reports and studies relating primarily to Seattle Public Schools, the International District, and housing and neighborhood development issues.

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Uhlman served as Mayor of Seattle from 1969 to 1977. He took office a month early due to Dorm Braman's resignation. Uhlman's mayoral papers are located at the University of Washington. In addition to the records series noted below, the Uhlman papers include approximately 8.0 cubic feet of chronological correspondence, 1974-1977.

Subject files maintained by the Mayor's office. Includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, and studies relating to all subjects of concern to City government during Uhlman's tenure.

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Correspondence, minutes, resumes, reports, and appointments relating to City boards, commissions, task forces and special committees. Arranged alphabetically by current and defunct boards.

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Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and studies relating to City agencies. Filed by department or office.

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Subject files, departmental correspondence, chronological correspondence, administrative files, and reference materials from Uhlman's first term. Some records date from the Clinton (1956-1964), Braman (1964-1969), and Miller (1969) administrations.

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White was Mayor of Seattle from August 1890 to November 1891. He served only two months of his first term and then stood for election under the newly adopted City Charter of 1890. White resigned after only one year of his term.

Includes annual message on the state of the City, vetoes, proposed Charter amendments, and various communications to City Council.

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