Preceded by Ron Bair Name James Chase Succeeded by Vicki McNeill Role Politician | Profession Politician Spouse Eleanor Barrow Religion Episcopal | |
Died May 19, 1987, Spokane, Washington, United States | ||
James Everett "Jim" Chase (March 29, 1914 – May 19, 1987) was an American politician in Spokane, Washington. He was elected mayor in 1981 by a landslide 62 percent to 38 percent margin, and became the state's first African American mayor.
Prior to his election as mayor at age 67, Chase was a city council member for six years, a seat which narrowly he won in 1975, becoming the first African American city council member in Spokane's history. He was re-elected in 1979 by a three-to-one margin and was the first council member to be retain a seat in six years.
Chase is famed for the Chase Youth Commission, a group advocating youth issues within Spokane, including the Chase Youth Awards and the Chase Youth issues forum. The youth commission is considered as a city commission and allows 8 adults and 7 youth to join every year. Chase Middle School in Spokane is named after him.
Chase died from cancer at age 73 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane. His funeral at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral was attended by over one thousand mourners from all walks of life, and he was buried at Fairmount Memorial Park. His widow Eleanor (1918–2002) lived an additional fifteen years.
Note: Daniel K. Oliver was erroneously cited in the 1979 history of the Black presence in Spokane, funded by the NAACP, as being the city's first black councilman in 1896-1897. This error has since been corrected and reported to the Washington State Historical Society.