Phyllis Hagmoe Lamphere (February 9, 1922 – November 13, 2018) was an American politician and civic activist. She was a longtime member of 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-lar ...

and was the first woman to lead the

National League of Cities The National League of Cities (NLC) is an advocacy organization in the United States that represents the country's 19,495 cities, towns, and villages along with 49 state municipal leagues. Created in 1924, it has evolved into a leading membership ...

Biography

Lamphere was born on February 9, 1922, in

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 ...

. Her mother, Minnie Hagmoe, was a public servant. She graduated from Lincoln High School and received her B.A. from

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

, where she studied under dancer

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She wa ...

. After Barnard, she worked for IBM and

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

, where she was Director of Women's Activities, before entering politics. Lamphere was active in

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

and lobbied the

to pass a bill that placed budget decisions under the mayor's authority. She won a seat on the city council in 1967 and remained on the council for 11 years. She helped pass an "Open Housing" law banning discrimination in Seattle in 1968 and lobbied for the building of the

West Seattle Bridge The West Seattle Bridge, officially the Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge, is a cantilevered segmental bridge that serves as the primary connection between West Seattle and important highways such as State Route 99 (and the tunnel through downt ...

. In 1977, Lamphere became the first nonmayoral and woman president of the

and ran for

Mayor of Seattle The Mayor of Seattle is the head of the executive branch of the city government of Seattle, Washington. The mayor is authorized by the city charter to enforce laws enacted by the Seattle City Council, as well as direct subordinate officers in ci ...

, coming in fourth in the primary. After leaving the council, Lamphere served as regional director of the Economic Development Administration and was named in 1980 to a team tasked with building the

Washington State Convention Center The Seattle Convention Center (SCC), formerly the Washington State Convention Center (WSCC), is a convention center in Seattle, Washington, United States. It consists of several exhibition halls and meeting rooms in buildings along Pike Stree ...

, where the Phyllis Lamphere Gallery was named after her. She also helped the Museum of History & Industry relocate to its present location in South Lake Union, Seattle. She was also a board member of Virginia Mason Medical Center, Museum of History & Industry, and a board member of the Washington State Convention Center from 1982 to 2002.

Personal life

Lamphere was married five times. She lived at the Horizon House retirement center, where she remained active in civic affairs and mobilized retirees in her 90s. She died on November 13, 2018, at age 96 and was survived by three daughters, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamphere, Phyllis 1922 births 2018 deaths Barnard College alumni Seattle City Council members Boeing people Activists from Seattle Politicians from Seattle