Wes Uhlman

Wesley C. Uhlman
Uhlman in 1969
Mayor of Seattle, Washington
In office 1969–1978
Preceded by	Floyd C. Miller
Succeeded by	Charles Royer
Member of the Washington House of Representatives for the 32nd district
In office 1959–1967
Member of the Washington State Senate for the 32nd district
In office 1967–1969
Personal details
Born	(1935-03-23) March 23, 1935 (age 81) Cashmere, Washington, United States
Political party	Democratic

Wesley Carl Uhlman (born March 23, 1935) was the 47th mayor of Seattle.

Uhlman was born in Cashmere, Washington. He attended Aberdeen High School, Seattle Pacific College (now Seattle Pacific University), and the University of Washington (UW). In 1958, as a 23-year-old UW law student, he won election as the youngest member of the Washington State House of Representatives. He served four terms before running for, and winning, a seat in the Washington State Senate. He was elected mayor of Seattle, Washington in 1969 and reelected in 1973. At 34, he was Seattle's youngest mayor. Among his accomplishments are the preservation of the historic Pioneer Square district and expansion of services for senior citizens. Uhlman ran for governor of Washington in 1976 but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Dixy Lee Ray, in a three-way race.

By Uhlman's own account, prior Seattle mayors had all been "members of the 'establishment'; I was not." Uhlman, a Democrat, and progressive Republican Mort Frayn faced off in the November 4, 1969 election, which Uhlman won 99,290 to 56,312. He took office December 1, 1969, a month earlier than would usually have occurred, because his elected predecessor J.D. Braman had accepted a position in the Nixon administration. (Floyd C. Miller held the office as an appointee from March 23, 1969 until Uhlman took office.) Roughly a week after he took office, the Boeing Bust began; Seattle-based Boeing would eventually shrink from 103,000 employees to 49,000. As Seattle headed for 25% unemployment, Uhlman had to cut city budgets. "The greatest challenge," he would say years later, "was just keeping the economic ship afloat."