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George Benson (civic organizer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Benson
Member of the Seattle City Council
from Position 4
In office
1974–1994
Preceded byLiem Tuai
Succeeded byJan Drago
Personal details
Born(1919-01-10)January 10, 1919
Minneapolis, MN
DiedOctober 22, 2004(2004-10-22) (aged 85)
Edmonds, Washington
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseEvelyn Benson
Children2 children
Alma materUniversity of Washington (BA)


George Benson (1919–2004) was an American politician from Seattle. He was a five-time elected member of the Seattle City Council from 1974 to 1994.[1] Benson had a reputation for being a community advocate and insider due to his background, activism, and activity in city council.[1]

While he was on city council, Benson advocated for transit options.[2] His major project was establishing the Waterfront Streetcar, which was later named in his honor.[2]

Benson was born in Minnesota but moved to Seattle in 1938.[3] He graduated from the University of Washington School of Pharmacy in 1950.[4] While he was there he met Evelyn, whom he married.[4] Benson interacted with the pharmacy school throughout his life.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Crowley, Walt (November 2, 2004). "George Benson: Seattle's Favorite Unpolitician". www.historylink.org.
  2. ^ a b Frey, Christine; Mulady, Kathy (October 27, 2004). "George Benson, 1919-2004: Waterfront streetcar is his legacy". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  3. ^ Burrows, Alyssa (November 4, 2004). "Benson, George (1919-2004), Father of the Seattle Waterfront Streetcar". HistoryLink. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Johnson, Karen (March 1, 2005). "George Benson, 1919-2004". University of Washington Magazine. Retrieved July 24, 2022.