Norm Rice Photographs

Series

Identifier: 5272-07

Staff Only

Scope and Contents note

Photographs, primarily informal, of Norman Rice's tenure as Seattle mayor and some from his years as Councilmember and before. Most are color photographs, but some black and white photographs are also included. Represented in the images are campaigns, city events, political events, meetings and conferences (including the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Black Bar Association Conference), visits to Seattle by dignitaries and celebrities, and sister city events and travel. Events pictured include groundbreaking ceremonies, fundraisers, receptions, dedications, award ceremonies, announcements and proclamations, banquets, parades, marches, and celebrations, including the Chinese New Year. Rosa Parks, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the Reverend Billy Graham, Muhammad Ali, Dionne Warwick, and B.B. King are among the visiting political figures, religious leaders, and celebrities pictured in the collection. Portraits of Rice and family photographs are also included. Negatives are included with some color snapshots. More than 400 photos have been digitized and are available on our digital platform. See the link below.

Dates

Creation: 1978-1997

Creator

Seattle (Wash.). City Clerk (Organization)
Rice, Norman B. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access note

Records are open to the public.

Biographical Note

Norman B. Rice was born in Denver on May 4, 1943. He received his college education at the University of Washington, earning a bachelor's degree in communications and a Masters of Public Administration. Rice holds honorary degrees from Seattle University, the University of Puget Sound, and Whitman College. Before entering City government, he worked as a reporter at KOMO-TV News and KIXI radio, served as Assistant Director of the Seattle Urban League, was Executive Assistant and Director of Government Services for the Puget Sound Council of Governments, and was employed as the Manager of Corporate Contributions and Social Policy at Rainier National Bank.

Beginning in 1978, Rice served eleven years on City Council, including a term as Council President; he also served as chair of the Energy and Finance and Budget Committees. Rice facilitated the development of more equitable cost allocation and rate design procedures for Seattle City Light as part of his work on the Energy Committee; his accomplishments on the Finance and Budget Committee included the passage of the Women and Minority Business Enterprise Ordinance and the elimination of City investments in firms doing business in South Africa. Norm Rice also worked to improve public safety in Seattle and advocated for the use of local funds to improve conditions for disadvantaged Seattle citizens.

Rice was elected mayor of Seattle for the term beginning January 1, 1990, and served two full terms. He was the first African-American mayor in Seattle's history. An important issue in his first mayoral race was mandatory busing of schoolchildren to improve integration in schools; schools and education continued to be an important issue throughout his tenure as mayor, including support for the Families and Education Levy. Downtown revitalization was also a top priority during his tenure as mayor.

Rice ran for mayor a second time in 1993 and was re-elected. He also served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. After leaving office, Rice served as President and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle from 1998 to 2004; he then became vice-chair of Capital Access, LLC, and a visiting professor at the University of Washington.