Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Mayor Ben Hanson Papers
Date(s)
Extent
1 box
(.3 cubic feet)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Benjamin (Ben) Hanson was born in 1926 in North Dakota, and moved to Washington with his family when he was young. He joined the military after high school, and later would go on to go to attend law school at the University of Washington [1]. He opened a law firm in Tacoma and became involved with Tacoma politics, joining the City Council. Ben Hanson was appointed as mayor of Tacoma in June 1958 by the Tacoma City Council under the Council-Manager form of government, and at 31 years old, he was inaugurated as Tacoma’s youngest-ever mayor at the time. [2] (Former Mayor Mike Parker now holds that title, elected at 30 years old in 1977 [3]). Two years later, in 1960, Hanson was elected to be retained by popular vote, and served 2 more years as Mayor of Tacoma [4]. Notably, during his term he made a visit to Tacoma’s sister city of Kokura City, Japan in 1959. After his time as Mayor, he went back to practicing law until his retirement. He passed away in 2007.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Includes photographs, correspondence, and other documentation related to Hanson's role as Mayor. Also included is documentation and ephemera related to his 1959 visit to Tacoma Sister City Kokura, Japan.