The Office Siege: King County’s Standoff Clerk
After an election dispute, the outgoing county clerk refuses to vacate, leading to a surreal occupation of the King County office that continues through a locked safe and a cold-shoulder standoff.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Thomas W. Gordon has taken legal measures to convince W. B. Spencer that his term as county clerk ended on January 9. Gordon filed an information in the name of the state, praying that Spencer be ousted from office. Gordon asserts he was duly nominated by the Republican convention and received the most votes in the November election. Spencer, who was elected in 1890, claims he is still entitled to the office. While the legal battle proceeds, Spencer has refused to leave, famously changing the combination of the office safe. Spencer stated he is not acting out of spite, but noted, 'In case I lose, I shall have spent my time and worked for no salary, whereas if Mr. Gordon is elected, he will draw his salary for the time that I have worked in the office.' Gordon has accepted the situation with surprising calm, choosing to travel to Olympia while the legal dispute remains unresolved.
“It would not be at all to my advantage to delay the decision of the matter.”
This 1893 power struggle mirrors modern anxieties over transitions of power, highlighting how administrative continuity often depends on the temperament of the incumbents. It serves as a reminder that local civic offices were once treated as private domains guarded with locks and keys rather than shared public property.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.