James d'Orma Braman (December 23, 1901 – August 21, 1980) was an American politician who served as the 45th

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

from 1964 to 1969. To date, Braman was the last

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to serve as Mayor of Seattle. Previously, mayors were elected for a term of four years, but because of a change in the date of election to odd-numbered years during his mayoral tenure, Braman served five and a half years.

Early life and education

He was born in Lorimor, Iowa, on December 23, 1901. As a child, Braman lived in Oklahoma before his family relocated to

Pend Oreille County, Washington Pend Oreille County ( ) is a county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Washington, along the Canada–US border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,401. The county seat and largest city is Newport. The county was ...

around 1908. He attended Union High School from 1916 to 1918, dropping out to work in the family lumber business.

Career

Braman worked in the lumber industry and also designed homes. In 1943, Braman served as a lieutenant in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

. Braman was based in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

and managed lumber procurement. In 1945, he was promoted to commander and transferred to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He returned to the

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

region in 1946. He was elected to the

Seattle City Council The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-l ...

, serving from 1954 until he became mayor in 1964. He was appointed by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Urban Systems and Environment in February 1969, resigning as mayor on March 23, 1969, to accept the position. Braman resigned in 1970 and returned to

after 18 months in the position.

Death

Braman died in

on August 21, 1980, at the age of 79.

References

Mayors of Seattle Seattle City Council members American Christian Scientists 1901 births 1980 deaths Washington (state) Republicans 20th-century American politicians {{Washington-mayor-stub