Jesse Cochran
Named in 14 stories. Back to all names
- Jan 29, 1891The Engineer Who Had the City by the ThroatIn a bitter 1909 standoff over Seattle’s waterworks, engineer Benezet Williams accused city officials of squeezing him into submission after they canceled his contract. The advisory board’s final offer left him with little choice but to walk away.Seattle, WA
- Apr 30, 1892The Political Spoils System in 1892 SeattleMayor John Ronald’s effort to oust his political opponents from the board of public works reveals the bare-knuckled power struggles of early Seattle city hall.Seattle, WA
- May 19, 1892Political Spoils System Grips the Board of Public WorksAs a new commissioner takes his seat, a swarm of job-seekers descends on City Hall in hopes of displacing sitting staff.City Hall, Seattle, WA
- May 23, 1892The Mayor's Selective HatchetA critical look at Mayor Ronald’s inconsistent logic in his attempt to fire board members over the city's tunnel sewer project.Seattle, WA
- Nov 15, 1892The Price of a Lost Election BetAfter betting on the wrong presidential candidate, a local man spent his afternoon forced to play a hand organ for charity to settle his debt.Seattle, WA
- Dec 22, 1892The Shadow of a Workplace GrudgeA Public Works Commissioner pleads for police protection as he fears a discharged laborer may seek a violent revenge.Seattle, WA
- Dec 23, 1892A Discharged Laborer Speaks OutPatrick Lavan, a laborer dismissed from city water works, writes to the press to dispel rumors of violent threats and describe the hardship of supporting seven children.Seattle, WA
- Feb 27, 1893The Plot to Fire the Engineer Behind Seattle’s Sewer TunnelsDemocratic operatives wanted Reginald H. Thomson’s job for a patronage appointee. Mayor Ronald threatened to make them pay.Seattle, WA
- Apr 21, 1893City Hall's Incompetent Board of WorksA critical letter exposes the lack of qualifications among the men overseeing Seattle's infrastructure, from water pipes to sewer systems.Seattle, WA
- Jan 24, 1894City Leaders Accused of Sewer ScandalSeattle's Board of Public Works is under fire for alleged mismanagement, incompetence, and waste during the city's massive sewer construction projects.Seattle, WA
- Feb 3, 1894City Hall Power Struggle: Mayor Ronald Wins Right to Oust AppointeesA court ruling confirms that the Mayor of Seattle holds sole authority to remove city officials, signaling an end to a high-profile challenge.Seattle, WA
- Feb 6, 1894The Sewer Scandal: A Whistleblower’s WarningCity Engineer Thomson testified that he repeatedly warned officials against using sub-standard, 'rotten' brick in Seattle’s sewer construction, only to be ignored as the project fell into corruption and mismanagement.Jackson Street, Seattle, WA
- Feb 7, 1894The Sewer Scandal and the 'Pull' of the Democratic MachineTestimony in the investigation of city official Jesse Cochran reveals a culture of backroom deals, sub-standard materials, and patronage hiring within the city's public works department.West Street, Seattle, WA
- Feb 16, 1894Seattle’s Sewers and the City Hall PurgeMayor Ronald removes two public works board members following an eight-day inquiry into municipal corruption and wasted funds.Seattle, WA