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Chase, James
| Last Name: | Chase |
|---|---|
| First Name: | James |
| Dates: |
*1913 (Date of Birth)
*1987 (Date of Death)
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| Biography/History: | James Everett Chase arrived in Spokane from Texas in the middle of the Depression. At the Spokane Hotel, he shined the shoes of city visitors as porter (1934-1940). Co-owner of Blackwell & Chase Body & Fender Shop on Indiana Avenue (1940-42). Supervised body repair, painting and upholstery shop at Geiger Field (1942-45) and married (April 10, 1942) Eleanor Barrow, granddaughter of Reverend Peter Barrow, who came to Spokane in 1890 to help found the Calvary Baptist Church. Owned and operated Chase Body & Fender Shop (1945-46) before Elmo Dalbert joined him as co-owner (1946-81). Chase was president of the local NAACP chapter and grand master of Prince Hall Masonic Grand Lodge. After Spokane City Council service (1975-79+) and Mayor pro tem (1978-79), he won 62 percent of the vote to become the city’s first African American mayor in 1982, and formed the youth commission that now bears his name. Eleanor studied music and voice at Whitworth College and was a respected soloist at Westminster Congregational Church. She worked as an adoption and juvenile court officer and social worker for many years and served the city alongside her husband during his term as mayor. |
| Related Participants: | |
| Related Objects: |
3861.2 (Gavel; Block, Gavel, Gavel and Stand, Mayor James Chase)
3861.3 (Award, Award, Chase Youth Commission)
3861.4 (Plaque, Award, Plaque, Mayor James Chase, Martin Luther King Memorial Center, 1986)
3861.5 (Plaque, Award, Plaque, Mayor James Chase, East Central Neighborhood Days, 1985)
3861.6 (Plaque, Award, Plaque, Mayor James Chase, NAACP "Black Man of the Year", 1982)
Ms159 (Chase Family Collection, 1871 - 1995)
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