M. Allan Pomeroy | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Seattle, Washington mayor Allan Pomeroy, circa 1954, stepping out of his office in Room 217 of the City-County Building (now King County Courthouse). | |
| 43rd Mayor of Seattle | |
| In office June 1, 1952 – June 4, 1956 | |
| Preceded by | William F. Devin |
| Succeeded by | Gordon S. Clinton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1907 Astoria, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | July 7, 1966 (aged 59) Seattle, Washington |
| Spouse | Loretta Tyler |
| Children | Paula Allan |
| Residence | Seattle, Washington |
| Alma mater | University of Washington (BS 1927) University of Washington School of Law (JD 1931) |
| Profession | Attorney, judge, politician |
Merritt "Allan" Pomeroy (1907-July 7, 1966) was the forty-thirdmayor ofSeattle, Washington serving from June 1, 1952, to June 4, 1956.[1]
Pomeroy was born inAstoria, Oregon, and later moved with his parents to the state ofWashington.[2] He received his Bachelor of Science degree from theUniversity of Washington in 1927 where he was a founding member of theSigma Pi fraternity chapter. He earned his law degree from theUniversity of Washington School of Law in 1931.[3] He married Loretta Tyler and they had a daughter, Paula Pomeroy LeFavor, and a son, Allan Merritt Pomeroy.[4]
After graduating from law school, Pomeroy became a practicinglawyer. He eventually became a judge and public servant, serving asJustice of the Peace inKitsap County (1934-1936), acting Seattlemunicipaljudge (1942), assistantUnited States Attorney for Western Washington (1942-1948), andKing CountySuperior Court judge (1948).[5]
In 1948, Pomeroy was defeated by a slim margin in his first bid for themayor's office by incumbent MayorWilliam F. Devin.[5] The defining issue of the election had been Devin's Tolerance Policy where small time gambling was tolerated. Devin (and Police Chief Eastman) said this was the best deterrent to majorvice andpolice corruption. Pomeroy said this was an official acceptance of illegality. He promised to end the practice and get rid of Eastman. This promise led to enough voters switching sides for Pomeroy to win the 1952 election by a small margin. He named H.J. Lawrence as Police Chief and said that card rooms would no longer be permitted.[6]
Pomeroy was credited with making Seattle a well known city by bringing theWorld's Fair to the city in 1962. Pomeroy had to bring in community and business leaders, as well as a petition campaign, to convince the city council to approve an $8.5 million bond issue to build the opera house and sports center needed to attractthe fair. Eventually the council approved a $7.5 million bond issue with the state matching that amount.[7]
In 1952, Pomeroy cut the ribbon opening theAlaskan Way Viaduct.[8]
In April 1954, during theSeattle windshield pitting epidemic police in the Seattle area were swamped with calls of carwindshields being pitted. Close to 3,000 windshields had been reported as being pitted, and no one knew what to do. Under pressure, Pomeroy first wired Washington GovernorArthur B. Langlie, then PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower asking for assistance. Many theories were put forth for the cause of the damage but an investigation by theSeattle Police Department determined that most of the damage was to the windshields of older cars. In cases were auto lots were involved, brand new cars were unpitted; used cars were. The damage had been there all along, it had just gone unnoticed. Sergeant Max Allison of the Seattle Police crime laboratory declared that all the damage reports were "5 percent hoodlum-ism, and 95 percent public hysteria." Area residents had become participants in acollective delusion. Within a couple of days reports of damage had ceased.[9]
In 1955, Pomeroy appointed the Mayor's Advisory Committee on Police Practices to investigate charges of police brutality. The committee condemned police practices in the predominantly blackCentral District neighborhood. As a result, a program was started to improve police relations with the black community. Several police officers participated in intercultural workshops sponsored by theSeattle Public Schools and others were enrolled in race relations classes atSeattle University. The effectiveness of the program was questioned by many.[10]
In 1956 Pomeroy lost his re-election bid toGordon S. Clinton. Pomeroy and Police Chief Lawrence's inability to close down the card rooms were a major reason for Clinton's victory.[6] The ousting of an incumbent mayor is rare in Seattle. It wouldn't happen again untilGreg Nickels beatPaul Schell in 2001.[11]
After losing the mayor's race Pomeroy went back to practicing law. At the time of his death he was a senior partner in the law firm of Pomeroy, Zelensky, Furnia, and Munro.[3] He was a member of several clubs and societies, including theMoose Lodge,Fraternal Order of Eagles,Kiwanis Club, theSons of Norway and the Alaska-Yukon Pioneers. He also served as Exalted Ruler of the SeattleElks.[5]
He died on July 7, 1966, of aheart attack in his Seattle home, at the age of 59.[12]
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