H. Russell Albee

H. Russell Albee

Albee in 1905
38th Mayor of Portland, Oregon
In office
1913–1917
Preceded by Allen G. Rushlight
Succeeded by George Luis Baker
Personal details
Born (1867-09-08)September 8, 1867
Rockford, Illinois
Died December 31, 1950(1950-12-31) (aged 83)
Portland, Oregon
Political party Progressive
Profession businessman

Harry Russell Albee (September 8, 1867 – December 31, 1950) was mayor of Portland, Oregon, from 1913–1917.[1][2]

Early life

Albee was born in Rockford, Illinois.[3][4]

Career

Elected mayor on June 2, 1913, Albee was the first mayor to preside over Portland's commission form of government, which had been approved by only a very small fraction more than a majority of city voters on May 3.[5] A recall effort against him and two commissioners in 1914 was unsuccessful. His administration gave attention to controversial matters including riverfront improvement, water meters, municipal garbage collection, vice, public transit rates, and slum housing conditions, but little was accomplished of long-range significance. By the end of his administration, the city had significantly cut back expenditures from the general fund, reducing it by 20 percent from $3.22 million to $2.5 million, even though the population of the city had grown by 5 percent since 1915. Paradoxically, the commission form of government came under fire for alleged waste and inefficiency.[6] Portland remains the only large city in the United States that still has a city commission form of government.

See also

References

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  1. ↑ "City Elected Officials Since 1913". City of Portland. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  2. ↑ Genovese, Fran (February 19, 2009). "Politicians and scandal: a Portland-area tradition". The Oregonian. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  3. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet: H. Russell Albee House" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Ex-Mayor, reform leader, also survived recall move". The Oregonian. January 2, 1951. p. 9.
  5. ↑ MacColl, E. Kimbark (1976). "Chapter 14 – The Fruits of Progressivism, 1913–1915". The Shaping of a City: Business and Politics in Portland, Oregon, 1885 to 1915. Portland, Oregon: The Georgian Press Company. pp. 443–445. ISBN 0-89174-043-0.
  6. ↑ MacColl, E. Kimbark (1979). "Chapter 1: Portland the Spinster Goes Dry". The Growth of A City. Portland, Oregon: The Georgian Press Company. pp. 28–30. ISBN 0-9603408-1-5.
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