Portland: People, Politics, and Power, 1851-2001
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By Jewel Lansing
Now in Paperback
2005. 592 pages. 6 x 9 inches. B&W photographs. Notes. Bibliography. Index.
Hardcover ISBN 0-87071-559-3. $35.00.
Paperback ISBN 0-87071-118-0. $22.95.
Table of Contents
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This is the definitive book on Portland's political history, beginning in 1845 when a 16-lot townsite was laid out
on the bank of the Willamette River and continuing through the sesquicentennial of Portland city government.
Jewel Lansing has amassed a treasure trove of information on Portland's civic and political life, which she presents
in a lively volume, organized around accounts of the successive reigns of Portland's mayors. The story is rich in
anecdotes that bring to life the unique individuals and controversial issues of Portland's distant and more recent past.
Lansing shows that Portland's path to its present place as the twenty-eighth largest city in the United States,
with a deserved reputation as one of the nation's most livable cities, has not always been smooth. Corruption,
profiteering, and wide-open vice characterized the City of Roses at the turn of the twentieth century, and every era
has had its own controversies and rivalries: disputes over railroad franchises and rights-of-way, women's suffrage,
public versus private power, the Chinese Exclusion Act, Prohibition, and the siting of freeways, to name just a few.
Anyone with an interest in Portland, and in learning more about the individuals, events, and issues that have shaped it,
will find this comprehensive history fascinating and informative.
"A fascinating history of Portland. This book is a vast source of information, yet is rich with amusing
anecdotes and sparkling stories that bring Portland's past, from its beginnings to the events and issues of today, to
vivid life. Every Portlander-every Oregonian-should read this wonderful book."
-Barbara Roberts, former Governor of Oregon
"Lansing's research is exhaustive, her use of detail impressive, her ability to keep us focused on the
central thread outstanding . . . [it is] the best book about the history of Portland."
-Dan Hays, Statesman Journal
Finalist, Oregon Book Award
About the Author
Jewel Lansing served as the elected City of Portland Auditor from 1983 to 1986 and as Multnomah County Auditor from
1975 to 1982. She is the author of five other books, including two about women and politics, and a murder mystery set
in Portland City Hall. She and her husband, Ron, a law professor at Lewis and Clark College, have lived in Oregon for more than
four decades.
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