John Elwood "Bud" Clark Jr. (December 19, 1931 – February 1, 2022) was an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th mayor of Portland, Oregon from 1985 to 1992. A left-leaning populist with little political experience before his mayoral bid, he was one of Portland's most colorful political figures.

Early life

Clark was born in Nampa, Idaho, on December 19, 1931. His family moved to La Grande, Oregon, and then to Portland when he was 6 years old. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1949, then enlisted in the Marines and attended college at Vanport College (now Portland State University), Oregon State University, and Reed College where he dropped out in his junior year. In 1967, he opened the Goose Hollow Inn tavern in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland. At that time, the neighborhood name was falling into disuse and Clark is now credited with keeping the Goose Hollow neighborhood identity alive. Clark was the raincoat-wearing model for a 1978 poster titled "

Expose Yourself to Art "Expose Yourself to Art" was the name of a poster which featured Bud Clark, future mayor of Portland, Oregon, seen flashing a bronze nude sculpture. The poster, and Clark himself—at the time a bar owner in Goose Hollow—became widely known. ...

","Expose Yourself to Art", The Story
. Michael Ryerson, Photographic Image Group. Retrieved August 14, 2010. in which he appeared to expose himself to a nude female public statue, '' Kvinneakt'', in downtown Portland.

Mayor of Portland

Jessica hollyfield andrew parodi and mayor bud clark keller auditorium

In 1984, Clark ran for mayor when no other candidate would come forward to challenge Frank Ivancie.Dietrich, Bill (May 20, 1984). "'Whoop, whoop!' Portland's new mayor was no flasher in the pan". '' The Seattle Times'', p. 1. He won in the primary, on May 15, 1984, with 54.7% of the vote. Under Portland's rules for municipal elections, Clark's winning more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary meant that there would be no runoff election in the fall, and his name was the only name on the ballot in the November general election. In view of this, he was already being referred to as "mayor-elect" well before November, but was "officially" elected mayor on November 6, 1984. His term began on January 2, 1985. As mayor, he was recognized for his eccentricities. He commuted to work by bicycle, and was known for his distinctive cry of "Whoop, Whoop!" His distinctive style led to an appearance on '' The Tonight Show'' with

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

in October 1984. In office, Clark found that Ivancie had reduced the city's reserves and budget. As mayor, Clark created the nationally recognized 12-Point Homeless Plan, supported the growth of

mass transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

, including the MAX Light Rail line to Gresham, Oregon, aided

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

development, and initiated and led the campaign to build the

Oregon Convention Center The Oregon Convention Center is a convention center in Portland, Oregon. Completed in 1989 and opened in 1990, it is located on the east side of the Willamette River in the Lloyd District neighborhood. It is best known for the twin spire towers ...

. Clark sanctioned The Mayor's Ball, an annual charity event featuring independent musicians from all over the Pacific Northwest. The Mayor's Ball ended after the election of Vera Katz. A spokesperson for then-Mayor Tom Potter, said that the event cost Clark's office $45,000 and also admitted that it also pulled in nearly $80,000. Clark was re-elected in 1988 after defeating 11 candidates in the primary and beating former Chief of Police Ron Still in the general. Due to $71,650 in campaign debt (mostly to

U.S. Bank U.S. Bancorp (stylized as us bancorp) is an American bank holding company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and incorporated in Delaware. It is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association, and is the fifth largest banking institution i ...

with a $52,000 lien against his personal home) from his 1988 campaign, Clark needed to raise money in 1991. A $100-per-plate

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

event ended up significantly undersold, and the "Oregon Political Party" fundraiser in the South Park Blocks actually lost money. Clark retired from public life and resumed his career as a tavern owner. In 2011, he wrote the foreword to ''Portland's Goose Hollow'', a book about the neighborhood's history.

Personal life and death

Clark married Sigrid Fehrenbacher in 1964 and they had three children. Fehrenbacher died in 2000. Clark had a namesake in the Bud Clark Commons, "apartments for people experiencing chronic homelessness" located in

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

and completed in 2011. Clark died from congestive heart failure on February 1, 2022 in Portland, at the age of 90. He was interred at River View Cemetery, in a natural burial.

References

External links

Bud Clark's Goose Hollow Inn

''The New York Times'', June 6, 1983.
Bud Clark Society
of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Bud 1931 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon Cycling in Oregon Drinking establishment owners Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Mayors of Portland, Oregon Military personnel from Idaho Military personnel from Portland, Oregon Oregon Democrats Oregon State University alumni People from Nampa, Idaho Portland State University alumni Reed College alumni United States Marines

Early life

Mayor of Portland

Personal life and death

See also

References

External links