History

The Chamber of Commerce of the City of Seattle

This is what Seattle looked like in 1880, when 26 businessmen met to discuss a vexing problem: how could their struggling town of 3,500 beat a San Francisco steamship company to win a $12,000 annual mail route to Alaska?

Their April 17 meeting was the first for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. It ended with a stern resolution to the Postmaster General of the United States and the formation of a committee on mail services. Read meeting minutes

The day after the meeting, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported: “For the past year, the businessmen of Seattle have been contemplating some organization for the better protection of their general interests, but the matter never assumed a tangible shape until last evening when about 25 leading citizens and businessmen met at the office of McClure & Taylor and proceeded to organize the Chamber of Commerce of the City of Seattle.”

Connecting our region
The Chamber’s first decade was dominated by the fight to obtain a railroad for Seattle. Chamber founders Thomas Burke, Orange Jacobs and John Leary led Seattle’s bid for adequate rail facilities. Their campaign finally ended on January 6, 1893, when workers drove the last spike into the Great Northern Railway track and opened transcontinental travel to Seattle.

Building a world-class city
In June 1889, 63 acres of Seattle’s business district was leveled by fire. The Chamber played a major role in rebuilding Seattle. Efforts ranged from encouraging businesses to reopen as quickly as possible to campaigning for wider, raised streets.

Sources: Seattle Business Special Edition: Seattle Chamber Celebrates 100 Years; Highlights: 1882-1957; Seattle Business: April 1932; HistoryLink.org

 

Seattle Illustrated
The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber officially incorporated on March 3, 1890, for a term of 50 years. In honor of the occasion, the Chamber published Seattle Illustrated, a 76-page, illustrated text geared at attracting new businesses by promoting our economic development opportunities and quality of life.

Building a world-class city
Beginning in 1895, the Chamber helped develop Fort Lawton, now Discovery Park. After the Secretary of War stipulated that property for a regimental post in Seattle be acquired without cost to the U.S. government, the Chamber appointed an Army Post Committee to solicit donations of land and cash. Initially 613 acres were acquired from 27 owners at $1 per owner. In February 1898, the Chamber turned over 703 acres to the U.S. Army. An 1898 Chamber publication remarked that the “money spent by the Chamber in securing this boon will return to the people a hundred-fold and more.”

A Ton of Gold
In the peak of a depression, the steamer Portland came into port carrying a cargo of gold from the banks of the Klondike River in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

Realizing what the gold strike could mean to Seattle, Erastus Brainerd, an unemployed journalist, talked the Chamber into hiring him as a press agent. Brainerd’s strategy was to promote Seattle as the departure point for gold seekers.

Brainerd joined forces with the Post-Intelligencer to produce a special Klondike edition on October 13, 1897. 212,000 copies were printed, making it the largest newspaper run that had been produced west of Chicago. The publicity excited readers all over the U.S. and thousands headed for Seattle.

The Chamber’s success at attracting and serving miners was complete except for one element: Seattle had no government assay office where gold could be assessed and purchased by the U.S. government.

In 1898, Brainerd, now president of the Chamber, was instrumental in convincing the federal government to establish an assay office in Seattle. Chamber records report that this office took in $1 million of gold on the first day. In the decade following, the assay office handled $200 million in gold.

Sources: Seattle Business Special Edition: Seattle Chamber Celebrates 100 Years; Highlights: 1882-1957; Seattle Parks & Recreation Department; HistoryLink.org; Seattle Unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park; The Chamber of Commerce in 1898. Image Courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives ID #2864

 

Building a world-class city
In 1906, the Chamber formed a Lake Washington Canal Committee that promoted the concept of a canal from the Puget Sound to Lake Union and Lake Washington.

The canal had been a frequent topic since 1854, when Thomas Mercer had suggested that a canal could profitably link the Puget Sound with the freshwater basins. The Chamber had much involvement throughout, including successfully suggesting the route be changed from Smith’s Cove to Shilshole Bay.

These efforts finally culminated on July 4, 1917, when the Lake Washington Ship Canal was dedicated.

Connecting our region
The Chamber helped raise money and plan for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE), the city’s first world’s fair.

The exposition was mandated by the legislature to display the resources, products, and advantages of Washington and the region. It was originally scheduled to open in 1907, recognizing the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush. However, organizers delayed it two years to avoid a conflict with the 300th anniversary of Jamestown, Virginia.

Construction took nearly two years and transformed the heavily-forested University of Washington campus into a beautiful park with about 20 new buildings.

The fair’s 138-day run extended from June 1 to October 16, 1909. More than 3 million visitors attended, and the fair closed with a $62,676 profit that organizers donated to the Anti-Tuberculosis League and the Seamen’s Institute.

Click here for an AYPE slideshow on HistoryLink.org

Sources: The Chamber of Commerce in 1898; Highlights: 1882-1957; HistoryLink.org; Seattle: King County and its Queen City; Seattle: 150 Years of Progress; Seattle Metropolitan Magazine. Image courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives ID #105440

 

Seattle Should Look Westward
Promoting trade and improving the region’s transportation infrastructure remained Chamber priorities throughout the 1910s.

In 1910 and 1915, the Chamber took the lead in bringing trade delegations from Japan and China. The Chamber was also deeply involved with the development of the Port of Seattle from 1911, when the first commissioners were charged with creating a publicly owned port.

When war broke out across Europe, wartime shipping and shipbuilding propelled growth at the port. In 1914, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Record reported: “Seattle has suddenly become the gateway from North America to Russia. The first ship of the Volunteer Fleet, the Novogorod, is now on its way from Vladivostok, establishing regular service between the Pacific Terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railways and this port.”

Rejoice with Alaska
On January 19, 1912, C.B. Yandell of the Chamber’s Alaska Bureau and Frank Swanton of Portland were the first of a big delegation of Alaska boosters from the west coast to arrive in Washington D.C. Unfortunately, Swanton was forced to return immediately due to a carbuncle that developed on his neck during the journey.

In 1913 the Chamber offered “A Wonder Trip Through Alaska.” The next year, as a result of this excursion, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph began installing comprehensive service throughout Alaska. In later years, a large branch factory of American Can was built in Seattle to take care of the salmon business of Alaska.

Due in large part to the Chamber’s efforts, in 1914, the Alaska Railroad Bill authorizing the building of a government railroad from the coast to Alaska’s interior finally received federal approval. The Chamber heralded this development with a headline in the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Record encouraging members to “Rejoice with Alaska.”

In 1913, the Chamber also conducted an Annual Trade Excursion to Northwest and Eastern Washington. Traveling by special train, the trip lasted five days and covered 1,100 miles. The cost was $47.00, with participation limited to men.

Sources: Seattle Business Special Edition: Seattle Chamber Celebrates 100 Years; Seattle Business

The Charmed Land
Thousands of inquiries, including 3,000 in one week, resulted from the Chamber’s national ad campaign “Seattle invites you to the Charmed Land.”

The Chamber’s newsletter, The Seattle Spirit, reported that the ads were “putting before the country for the first time in a national way the wonders of the Puget Sound country.” The first 300 letters included 52 definite statements of plans to visit in the summer.

Connecting our region
On January 19, 1912, C.B. Yandell of the Chamber’s Alaska Bureau and Frank Swanton of Portland were the first of a big delegation of Alaska boosters from the west coast to arrive in Washington D.C. Unfortunately, Swanton was forced to return immediately due to a carbuncle that developed on his neck during the journey.

In July 1927, the Chamber’s Aviation Committee investigated six sites in King County for a municipal airport and selected a seventh location east of the Duwamish River.

The area was well served by three rail lines and Highway 99 and was near water for use by seaplanes. Runway construction began on March 28, 1928, using fill from dredging the Duwamish River.

On July 26, 1928, Boeing Field was dedicated, with Boeing president William E. Boeing telling the crowd of 20,000 that “this day is just about the happiest one of my life.” State representative W.W. Conner remarked that “Boeing Field today means more to Seattle and the Northwest than the building of the old Yesler Wharf meant to our pioneer citizens.”

Sources: Seattle Business Special Edition: Seattle Chamber Celebrates 100 Years; Seattle Spirit; HistoryLink.org

Building a world-class region
The “Monday Group” came into existence when Chamber General Manager Christy Thomas asked the publishers of Seattle’s three daily newspapers if they would meet, off-the-record, with a group of civic leaders on a regular basis. In the 75 years since then, business and media leaders have continued to meet weekly as the Community Development Roundtable to discuss issues of importance to the community.

Chambers’ Hopes Realized in Cross-State Highway
Completion of the final link of a cross-state highway in 1937 ended the Chamber’s campaign, begun in 1928, for a paved route joining Eastern and Western Washington. Seattle Business reported that “The Sunset highway is paved from Seattle, over Snoqualmie Pass to Prosser—, a distance of 207 miles —with the exception of a 14-mile stretch from Teanaway to Thorpe, just west of Ellensburg.”

Also in 1937, the Alaska Division saw years of work speed towards a climax when President Roosevelt authorized the construction on the Alaska section of the International Highway from the United States to Fairbanks, by way of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.

The following year, Seattle Business reported that “83 outstanding Seattle businessmen traveled through Eastern Washington—, Seattle’s indispensable hinterland, —on a business goodwill tour the week of October 21. Ten Eastern Washington towns, who contribute a great volume of business to Seattle each year, were visited and closer business relations formed.”

Egyptian Minister Entertained
Members of the Chamber’s Foreign Trade Committee, the Members’ Council, and the State Development Committee assisted in the entertainment of the Egyptian Minister to the United States, M. Amine Youssef, and his commercial attaché. The minister was interested in agriculture and taken to several places in the city before leaving for Yakima on May 1 to learn about fruit production and agricultural projects.

Sources: Seattle Business Special Edition: Seattle Chamber Celebrates 100 Years; Seattle Business.

 

Chamber plays major part in new airport
In January 1941, with Boeing Field overcrowded, the Chamber’s Aviation Committee conceived the idea of another major airport and started considering possible sites. The following year, the Chamber supported the Port of Seattle as the local government sponsor of the new airport.

Then in 1946, the Chamber actively campaigned for a $3 million bond for a new Seattle Metro Chamberistration building and terminal, replacing a Quonset hut that served as the passenger terminal. Known as “The Pantry,” this structure was heated by a single potbellied stove and deemed insufficient to meet anticipated demand following the war.

On July 9, 1949, the new terminal was dedicated and officially became Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Save Boeing—Defend Seattle
Following World War II, the U.S. Air Force wanted to move work on defense contracts from coastal areas to the “greater safety” of Midwest locations. The Chamber swung into action with a “Save Boeing—Defend Seattle” campaign, ensuring that work remained at Boeing plants in Seattle instead of Wichita.

More than 250 attend first Foreign Trade Zone Clinic
After 30 years of work by the Chamber and the Port of Seattle, the charter was signed for Seattle’s Foreign Trade Zone.

Shortly after this, the Chamber welcomed more than 250 for the first-ever Foreign Trade Zone Clinic to be held in the United States. The Chamber sponsored the clinic in conjunction with the Port of Seattle, the University of Washington, the Pacific Northwest Trade Association and the Seattle Traffic Association.

Then in January 1950, the Chamber hosted an Overseas Friendship Tour to Japan, the Philippines and Hawaii. Discussing his plans for the trip, Mayor William F. Devin said that he would emphasize the importance of Seattle as a shipping port.

Sources: Seattle Business Special Edition: Seattle Chamber Celebrates 100 Years; Seattle Business; HistoryLink.org. Image: General Subjects Photograph Collection, 1845-2005, Washington State Archives ID 32001

Increasing the flow of waterborne commerce
The Chamber formed a maritime division, focused on enlarging the Port Commission and revitalizing the Port of Seattle. This was largely a response to economic losses that occurred when the Army closed its Port of Embarkation and rate parity was granted to ports in California, the Atlantic, and Gulf coasts that diminished Seattle’s geographic advantage in shipping to Asia.

A Better Seattle
Reflecting on the Chamber’s 75th anniversary in 1957, Chamber President Joseph Gandy commented “but most interesting of all is the parallel of activities 50 and 75 years ago and those of today…all dedicated to one thing–a better Seattle in which to work, live and play.”

Gandy went on to note that the Chamber’s present projects, such as improving the business climate, industrial expansion, shipping and traffic problems, state development and world trade, are illustrations of how the Chamber tries to plan ahead and anticipate issues of the future.

Gandy also reflected on how the Chamber has always been an organization of business leaders, “it was supported by the business people 75 years ago, and that basic situation has never changed.”

I-90 Freeway

Reaching for new horizons
The Chamber was an early supporter of the 1962 World’s Fair, an event that experts said could never succeed. Seattle City Councilman Al Rochester planted the idea in the 1950s, at an informal lunch with the Chamber’s executive vice president, director of public affairs, and an editor from the Seattle Times. Spurred on by their support, Rochester began to actively pursue the idea.

Soon after a bill was drafted in Olympia asking for $5,000 to form a World’s Fair Commission. Momentum picked up significantly from there, particularly with the governor’s appointment of Eddie Carlson as chair of the World’s Fair Commission.

Following the fair, the Chamber worked to continue the momentum, writing in its 1962 annual report that “success of the Fair has inspired Seattle with a feeling of accomplishment–and ability to accomplish. We are ready–and eager–to reach for new horizons.”

Promoting trade and building relationships
In 1961, 13 businessmen participated in the first Chamber European Trade Promotion Mission, visiting seven major European cities in six countries. Chamber President Wheeler Grey reported that the mission “broadened the trade activity which has been so successful in the Orient.”

The Chamber continued to advance trade with Asia as well, and helped coordinate the establishment of a permanent Kobe Trade Office in Seattle.

Promoting economic opportunity for all
Seattle’s first Job Fair was organized in 1965 by the Chamber in response to increasing concerns in Seattle’s black community about high unemployment. The fair brought together representatives of major businesses and prioritized the recruitment of minorities by local businesses.

 

A nationally competitive convention center in Seattle
The Convention Center Task Force was formed in 1978 to plan and promote the development of a nationally competitive convention center in Seattle. After legislative approval for the center’s construction was secured in 1982, the Chamber created a statewide task force which played a key role in the selection of a downtown freeway site.

Pacific Rim Trade Activity
In August 1976, the Chamber assumed the lead in organizing the Japan-American Conference of Mayors and Chambers of Commerce Presidents, a four-day meeting held in Seattle. The conference attracted 300 government and business leaders from 16 U.S. cities and from Japan’s 22 major cities. The theme was “The Partnership of Business and Government in Providing for Urban Prosperity.”

The Chamber was also instrumental in establishing the Washington State Committee for China Trade, a statewide organization designed to coordinate commercial projects with the People’s Republic of China. Through participation in this organization, 20 business leaders from Seattle and Washington state took part in a two-week trade mission to the People’s Republic of China. After that, the committee actively solicited reciprocal trade missions in Seattle.

Expediting completion of I-90

Cruise Ship Business
“Since 1840 passengers have been making the nautical pilgrimage to Alaska. They still are, in ever-increasing numbers,” stated the Chamber’s Annual Report in 1987-88. The Chamber promoted Seattle as the homeport for passenger ships, largely as a way of tapping into the estimated $5 to $10 million in economic impacts generated by one single ship during a typical summer.

“The Most Memorable Moment”
Writing about the 1982-83 program year, when the Chamber celebrated its 100th anniversary, Chamber President Bob Graham described his most memorable moment as Governor Spellman’s signing of the Advanced Construction Interstate bill. Graham explained that the “new funding will at last allow the completion of I-90 and the entire interstate system during the next 10 years.” I-90 had been a Chamber objective since it was first proposed in 1957. The Chamber’s Committee for Balanced Regional Transportation was instrumental in securing passage of the bill. The Chamber continued monitoring I-90’s completion, instituting annual tours in 1983 to provide a firsthand view of the progress. Another important moment noted by Graham was the legislature’s approval of HB 1015 authorizing the development of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in downtown Seattle. The center was completed in 1988.

Benchmarking our region

The 1990s began with a new partnership by the Chamber and the Port of Seattle, as the two organizations joined together to launch the Trade Development Council of Greater Seattle.

According to the Chamber’s annual report for 1990-91, “this new joint venture will merge the best of the Chamber’s international and domestic marketing programs with those of the port in an effort to guarantee that our region stays ahead of the competition in an increasingly global economy.”

The Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle developed into a collaboration of the City of Bellevue, City of Everett, City of Seattle, City of Tacoma, Pierce County Government, Snohomish County Government, Port of Everett, Port of Seattle, Port of Tacoma, the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and union leadership to promote the trade interests of this region in domestic and international markets. Between 1992 and 2018, the Trade Development Alliance managed or lent assistance to business missions to more than 30 regions. The Trade Alliance also hosted inbound missions, hosting delegations from every continent except Antarctica.

In 2018, the Alliance merged into Greater Seattle Partners, a public-private partnership created to advance economic growth and competitiveness for the region that is supported by companies such as Boeing, Amazon, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, Starbucks and Alaska Airlines, and county executives, mayors and port commissioners from Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.

Connecting Our Region
Throughout the 2000s, the Chamber supported improving regional mobility across the Puget Sound. In 2003, the Chamber helped to drive the “Nickel” package which raised the gas tax by five cents – a necessity in order to restore purchasing power which had been lost to inflation since the last gas tax increase in 1991.Our fight for improved mobility did not stop there. In 2005, the Chamber formed the Transportation Partnership – a coalition of business, labor, local government and environmental representatives from around the state – who advocated for a comprehensive solution to Seattle’s transportation challenges. As 2007-8 chair Jim Warjone, stated “It’s the artery system of our region and we need to complete it.” The decade came to an end with one of Seattle’s greatest mobility triumphs, the establishment of Sound Transits, Link Light Rail, which opened in April 2009. 

Pushing Forward
In September 2007, the Chamber held its Annual Meeting, where 1500 business and civic leaders got together to discuss the value of regional partnerships. Warjone asked Chamber members to get involved and help to deepen relationships with elected officials, and support efforts that ensured fiscal responsibility. Our celebration wrapped up with the pledge to carry on the spirit of the Chamber’s founders: “All of us here today stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. To take that theme of the past forward, we must become the pioneers of the future, just as they did.”

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