Mapping Mayor Uhlman's Legacy

An interactive essay by Charles

Editor’s note: This piece was created during the 2026 session of History Lab, a summer intensive for high school students interested in local history and storytelling. Over the course of two weeks, participants explore creative ways to interpret and share history, conduct research, and produce a work of historical interpretation in a digital medium on a topic of their choosing. The 2025 cohort explored the theme of “Power & History” - including the question: what drives social and political change?

Wes Uhlman Mayoral Campaign Flyer (Committee for a New Mayor, 1969). Seattle Municipal Archives, #1177, Series VF-0000.

During the tumultuous decade of the 1960s, Seattle was seen by many as having escaped many of the worst urban problems plaguing American cities. During their application for funding from President Johnson’s Model Cities program, Seattle’s boosters claimed funding would prevent, not address, the urban crisis plaguing many other cities. [1] However, Seattle still had many issues. One such issue was the city government, largely perceived to be led by an ineffective mayor and a strong city council. [2] Reform that allowed the mayor to control budgeting in the city was passed by the state legislature in 1966. Choose an Effective City Council (CHECC), a citizen movement focused on electing reformers to city council, also found success in the later 1960s. [3] It was under these circumstances that Wesley Uhlman was elected as mayor of Seattle in 1969. 

Term 1
Mayor Uhlman’s first term was marked with the crisis and change commonplace as America moved from the 1960s to the 1970s. Soon after Uhlman took office in 1969, the Boeing company announced a large series of layoffs. [17] The layoffs were caused by the cancellation of the Super Sonic Transport (SST) project and overestimation of sales. [18] Unemployment in Seattle rose to 10.5%, about double the national average. [19] Protests and demonstrations also rocked Seattle during this time. Anti war protests blocked the I-5 freeway to protest the Kent State Massacre. While Uhlman was away during the initial protest, he closed the freeway to allow for the protests and lowered city flags to half-staff. [20] The era also saw civil rights movements led by groups like the Black Panthers, United Indians of All Tribes, and MEChA. Mayor Uhlman would be sympathetic to the demands of these groups. Even so, protests from these groups were often targeted at the mayor. [21] Uhlman was able to take advantage of executive powers granted to the mayor, appointing allies to important positions and creating superagencies to streamline the city’s bureaucracy.  [22] Despite these powers, Uhlman was handed a defeat when Forward Thrust rail plans were rejected in a ballot measure, with mayors having little authority when voters vote against ballot measures. [23] One of Uhlman’s greatest sources of power was his friendship with Senator Warren Magnuson. As he had great control over federal government appropriations, Senator Magnuson was critical to securing funding for the preservation of Pioneer Square and Pike Place Market.

Mayor Uhlman views the newly finished otter exhibit at a media event for the Aquariums opening. Seattle Municipal Archives, 193971.

Term 2
Despite the hardships of his first term, mayor Uhlman was reelected in 1973 against council member Liem Tuai. Uhlman’s second term would continue the initiatives of the first; for example, the Kingdome, Seattle’s new stadium conceived as part of Forward Thrust, would open in 1976. The Seattle Aquarium, another part of Forward Thrust, was also opened during his second term. One of the most dramatic moments of Uhlman’s second term was an attempt to recall him from office. Angered by Uhlman’s affirmative action hirings and trims Uhlman made to city departments, the firefighter and City Light unions would launch a recall campaign against Uhlman. Uhlman would survive the recall attempt, ironically with many votes from anti-union voters who had once voted against him. [29]

In his own words, Uhlman was an “entrepreneur” – he did not conceive many of the ideas that led to his achievements, but eagerly took on the ideas of others. [30] As shown with Uhlman’s changing stance on Pike Place Market’s demolition, he was a mayor who was willing to change to conform to the will of Seattle voters. Elsewhere, Uhlman was able to stand up to the federal government from the municipal level, opposing an ATF raid from the Nixon administration. Uhlman made great use of his hiring powers as mayor to ensure fair employment in city departments. Ultimately, while Uhlman had great success in using his executive power, he was also greatly bolstered by the friendly “reformist” city council that voted for many of his most important achievements. The Forward Thrust ballot measures and recall attempts against him also exemplify how a city’s voters also have great control over how it is shaped.

Footnotes

1. Emily Lieb, “Uhlman, Wesley Carl (b. 1935),” HistoryLink, December 21, 2006, https://historylink.org/File/7854. 
2. Neal R. Pierce, The Pacific States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Five Pacific Basin States (New York: W. W. Norton, 1972), 254.
3. Peter LeSourd, “CHECC: It’s Role in the Transformation of Seattle, 1967-1978, Part 2,” HistoryLink, April 30, 2007, https://historylink.org/File/8144.
   
4. Walt Crowley and David B. Williams, “Seattle Neighborhoods: Pioneer Square — Thumbnail History (Part 2)”, HistoryLink, June 8, 2026, https://historylink.org/File/23495. 
   
5. “Pioneer Square Preservation District,” City of Seattle, https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/historic-preservation/historic-districts/pioneer-square-preservation-district#history.
   
6. Ross Anderson, “17S And The Rebirth Of Seattle -- Wes Uhlman’s Legacy Revisited As Paul Schell Begins Job As City’s Mayor,” The Seattle Times, January 2, 1998, https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980102/2726535/17s-and-the-rebirth-of-seattle----wes-uhlmans-legacy-revisited-as-paul-schell-begins-job-as-citys-mayor.
   
7. “Wes Uhlman - A Politician of His Times,” 1968: The Year That Rocked Washington, n.d., https://www.sos.wa.gov/legacy/sixty-eight/wes-uhlman/.
   
8. “Pike Place Market Historical District,” City of Seattle, https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/historic-preservation/historic-districts/pike-place-market-historical-district.
   
9. Anderson, “17S And The Rebirth Of Seattle.”
   
10. Lieb, “Uhlman.”
    
11. Lossom Allen, “ By Right of Discovery United Indians of All Tribes Retakes Fort Lawton, 1970,” The Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project, n.d., https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/FtLawton_takeover.shtml.
    
12. Thomas Kahle, “‘It’s Not a Treaty, It’s a Legal Binding Agreement’: Fort Lawton, Red Power, and the Struggle for Indigenous Land Reclamation,” ShareOK (thesis, 2023), https://shareok.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/b781ff9e-2933-4390-84a1-dcb6bbff730d/content. 
    
13. “History & Evolution,” El Centro de la Raza, February 13, 2024, https://www.elcentrodelaraza.org/aboutus/history-evolution/.
    
14. “The Black Panther Party in Seattle, Part 3: The Panthers and the Politicians,” Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project, n.d., https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/Panther3_schaefer.shtml.
    
15. William H. Mullins, “The Persistence of Progressivism: James Ellis and the Forward Thrust Campaign,” Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest, Spring 2014, https://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Articles/Mullins/ForwardThrust.html.
    
16. “Wes Uhlman,” 1968: The Year That Rocked Washington.
    
17. Lieb, “Uhlman.”
18. Pierce, The Pacific States of America, 233.
    
19. Lieb, “Uhlman.”
    
20. Knute Berger, Durkan Isn’t the First: The History of Seattle Mayoral Recalls, June 19, 2025, https://www.cascadepbs.org/politics/2020/08/durkan-isnt-first-history-seattle-mayoral-recalls/.
    
21. Lieb, “Uhlman.”
    
22. “Wes Uhlman,” 1968.
    
23. Mullins, “The Persistence of Progressivism.”
    
24. Kevin Teeter, Seattle and an Uzbek City Forged a Warm Bond During the Cold War, June 19, 2025, https://www.cascadepbs.org/news/2023/09/seattle-and-uzbek-city-forged-warm-bond-during-cold-war/.
    
25. Candice Richardson, “Claude Harris: Seattle’s First Black Fire Chief’s ‘Don’t Quit’ Mentality Paved The Way For A First Class Department And Affirmative Action Policies In Seattle,” The Seattle Medium, February 1, 2024, https://seattlemedium.com/claude-harris-seattles-first-black-fire-chief/. 
    
26. Peter Blecha, “The City of Seattle’s Festival '71 music and arts fair (later Bumbershoot) debuts on August 13, 1971.” HistoryLink, August 31, 2019, https://www.historylink.org/File/20849 
    
27. “The History of Seattle’s Pride Parade,” Seattle City Council Blog, January 6, 2023, https://council.seattle.gov/2012/05/31/the-history-of-seattles-pride-parade/.
    
28. “Wes Uhlman,” 1968.
    
29. Berger, “Durham First: History Seattle Mayoral Recall, June 19, 2025
    
30. Anderson, “17S And The Rebirth Of Seattle.”

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Bibliography

​Allen, Lossom. “ By Right of Discovery United Indians of All Tribes Retakes Fort Lawton, 1970.” The Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project, n.d. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/FtLawton_takeover.shtml.

Anderson, Ross. “17S And The Rebirth Of Seattle -- Wes Uhlman’s Legacy Revisited As Paul Schell Begins Job As City’s Mayor.” The Seattle Times, January 2, 1998. https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980102/2726535/17s-and-the-rebirth-of-seattle----wes-uhlmans-legacy-revisited-as-paul-schell-begins-job-as-citys-mayor.

Berger, Knute. “Durkan Isn’t the First: The History of Seattle Mayoral Recalls”, June 19, 2025. https://www.cascadepbs.org/politics/2020/08/durkan-isnt-first-history-seattle-mayoral-recalls/.

Blecha, Peter. “The City of Seattle’s Festival '71 music and arts fair (later Bumbershoot) debuts on August 13, 1971.” HistoryLink, August 31, 2019, https://www.historylink.org/File/20849 

Crowley, Walt and David B. Williams, “Seattle Neighborhoods: Pioneer Square — Thumbnail History (Part 2)”, HistoryLink, June 8, 2026, https://historylink.org/File/23495. 

“History & Evolution.” El Centro de la Raza, February 13, 2024. https://www.elcentrodelaraza.org/aboutus/history-evolution/.

Kahle, Thomas. “‘It’s Not a Treaty, It’s a Legal Binding Agreement’: Fort Lawton, Red Power, and the Struggle for Indigenous Land Reclamation.” ShareOK, 2023. https://shareok.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/b781ff9e-2933-4390-84a1-dcb6bbff730d/content.

LeSourd, Peter. “CHECC: It’s Role in the Transformation of Seattle, 1967-1978, Part 2.” HistoryLink, April 30, 2007. https://historylink.org/File/8144.

Lieb, Emily. “Uhlman, Wesley Carl (b. 1935).” HistoryLink, December 21, 2006. https://historylink.org/File/7854.

Mullins, William H. “The Persistence of Progressivism: James Ellis and the Forward Thrust Campaign.” Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest, Spring 2014. https://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Articles/Mullins/ForwardThrust.html.

Munro, Allan. Wes Uhlman Mayoral Campaign Flyer. Seattle, WA: Committee for a New Mayor, 1969.

Pierce, Neal R. The Pacific States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Five Pacific Basin States. New York: W. W. Norton, 1972.

“Pike Place Historic District.” City of Seattle. https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/historic-preservation/historic-districts/pike-place-market-historical-district

“Pioneer Square Preservation District.” City of Seattle. https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/historic-preservation/historic-districts/pioneer-square-preservation-district#history.

Richardson, Candice. “Claude Harris: Seattle’s First Black Fire Chief’s ‘Don’t Quit’ Mentality Paved The Way For A First Class Department And Affirmative Action Policies In Seattle.” The Seattle Medium, February 1, 2024. https://seattlemedium.com/claude-harris-seattles-first-black-fire-chief/.

Teeter, Kevin. Seattle and an Uzbek City Forged a Warm Bond During the Cold War, June 19, 2025. https://www.cascadepbs.org/news/2023/09/seattle-and-uzbek-city-forged-warm-bond-during-cold-war/.

“The Black Panther Party in Seattle, Part 3: The Panthers and the Politicians.” Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project, n.d. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/Panther3_schaefer.shtml.

“The History of Seattle’s Pride Parade.” Seattle City Council Blog, January 6, 2023. https://council.seattle.gov/2012/05/31/the-history-of-seattles-pride-parade/.

“Wes Uhlman - A Politician of His Times.” 1968: The Year That Rocked Washington, n.d. https://www.sos.wa.gov/legacy/sixty-eight/wes-uhlman/.