The Six-Hour Coup
A corrupt acting mayor attempts to replace the police chief to open the city to gamblers, only to be overruled upon the mayor’s return.
The gamblers and the 'Kid committee' were boosted into the saddle by Acting Mayor Miller yesterday, but they did not stay there long. Acting Mayor Miller had suspended Police Chief Jackson to clear the way for gambling interests. Jackson, backed by public sentiment, refused to step down permanently. Deputy Sheriff Jack McDonald was briefly appointed as his replacement, serving as chief for only six hours—the shortest term in the history of the department. Mayor Ronald returned to the city at 6:00 p.m. to find the city in an uproar. Within three hours of his arrival, the police commission met, and Chief Jackson was reinstated. The gamblers' celebration, which had included plans for a torchlight procession, ended in silence.
“What is a little matter like the constitution between friends?”
This 1893 political drama echoes ongoing tensions in Seattle regarding civic leadership, police policy, and the influence of moneyed interests on city hall. The rapid ousting and reinstatement of a police chief serves as a reminder of how volatile the struggle for control of public policy can be.
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